News archive 2004 for the Danish national team in women's handball
[December 2004] European Championship 2004 in Hungary See also my brief EC
overview Denmark is in group C with Rumania, Germany and Sweden. Even though we are defending our title as European Champions, Pytlick this time only has a humble goal of getting past the preliminary round! Which team will be the new heir to the throne? Denmark - Germany: 27-24 (12-14) After a bad first half, the grey skies cleared up with a few changes on the court. Goalkeeper Bager Nørgaard, who did not catch many shots, was replaced by the more experienced Karin Mortensen (the goalkeepers have been predicted to be the ones to win our matches). Grit Jurack was being well guarded and debutant Mette Sjøberg, who scored five goals, took a brave responsibility on the team which was nervous and making an endless amount of fault. At some point the Germans lead 13-8 after a couple of Danish disqualifications. The second half was more positive for the Danes, even though we at some point only lead by one goal before the Germans finally got tired.. Denmark - Sweden: 24 - 21 (11 - 9) What should have been a very easy job turned out to be a bit of a horror show. To be honest, it was a very lousy Danish performance not worthy of the defending champions. Messy play and a load of missed opportunities (yes, that thing with the net is called a gol!) Five times they missed a penalty shot, which is quite unheard of. Again we were saved by our goalkeepers and a better physical shape than the opponents. Chances were queing up, nobody was able to take advantage of them, maybe apart from Sjøberg and Knudsen - not the ones we had expected to take responsibility. But luck has brought us a step further in the tournament with maximum points. Denmark - Rumania: 24 - 25 (11 - 12) Rikke Skov 3, Henriette Mikkelsen 3, Anne Petersen 2, Laura Danielsen 1, Rikke Hørlykke B. Jørgensen 2, Mette Sjøberg 9, Karen Brødsgaard 2, Josephine Touray 2. Denmark - Austria: 25 - 22 (16 - 14) Denmark - France: 22 - 20 (10 - 12) Demark - Hungary: 24-23 (8 - 14) Denmark - Russia: 31 - 27 (11-11) The finals: Denmark - Norway: 25 - 27 (11-11) Hørlykke, Thomsen, Brødsgaard 4 goals, Knudsen and Sjøberg 3, Mikkelsen, Petersen and Skov 2, Mølgaard andTouray 1. On the Allstar team was chosen both Karin Mortensen and Touray. Third place and thereby bronze was won by Hungary. To find photos, please look at the official sites of the tournament.
[September + October 2004] Core players leave the national team Mette Vestergaard (28), Christina Roslyng (26), Kristine Andersen (27) and Line Daugaard (26) have all reported, that the Olympics was their last participation with the national team. Also star player Lotte Kiærskou will rather take care of her health and spare herself of the coming Championship - perhaps even say farewell to the national team alltogether. Jan Pytlick will also have to find a replacement for Trine Jensen. Thereby the team once again sufferes a massive drain of core players and the decisions ruin the long term work. Pytlick is not pleased. Winnie Mølgaard has been called in as the latest replacement. Kristine has an injury as a reason, whereas the other players have lost their motivation. The players have long complained about too many matches, both for their clubs and tournaments with the national team. With the increased stress and profesionalization of the sport, the fun disappears and there is less time for educations, jobs and family. Big money is involved now and the happy amateur days are long over. But who will be the first to give in and make some changes? Mette Vestergaard was the first of the players to announce that the Olympics was the final goodbye to the Danish national team. Mette started as a young and insecure player (1995), who had to prove her worth amongst the old "gold-team". But as the years went by and many stars faded, she herself became the most experience player and also captain of the new team with much younger girls under her wings. She ended with a total of 158 matches. See the players list and old results for more info. [August 2004] The Olympic Games, Greece 2004 See also my theme page 7. Denmark - Korea: 38 - 36 (14 - 14) Two extra time periods (4 - 4) and a penalty shootout gave this result after 25 - 25 ordinary time. The olympic gold is ours for the third time in a row! Like most of our matches, this one was follwed by members of the royal family - and for the finals, we both had our Queen Margrethe II, her husband Henri plus the Crown prince Frederik and his Australian wife Mary as spectators. Goals: Katrine Fruelund 15, Kristine Andersen 5, Lotte Kiærskou 5, Karen Brødsgaard 3, Josephine Touray 3, Mette Vestergaard 2, Line Daugaard 2, Trine Jensen 1, Rikke Hørlykke 1, Henriette Mikkelsen 1 Final competition with penalty shots: 6. Denmark - Ukraine: 29 - 20 (13 - 11) 5. Denmark - China: 32 - 28 (18 - 14) 4. Denmark - Angola: 38 - 22 (19 - 8) 3. Spain - Denmark: 21-23 (8-14) 2. Danmark - Korea: 29 -29 (23 - 14) Denmark - France: 35 - 26 (16 - 11) A bit surprising to win this easily - and without any injured Danish players left crushed on the field. The Danes are back with their best players and all have prepared themselves well, also physically. The defense was very good and besides a slow period during the middle of the second half, the Danes were leading the game all along.
Photo kindly lent to us out here by IHF.info. [July 2004] Pre-Olympic Tournament in France on 21 July 22/7-04: in Bordeaux: France - Denmark The Olympic team chosen (15. – 29. August) Rikke Skov, Henriette Mikkelsen, Mette Vestergaard, Rikke Hørlykke, Camilla Thomsen, Karin Mortensen, Lotte Kiærskou, Trine Jensen, Katrine Fruelund, Louise Bager Nørgard, Rikke Poulsen Schmidt, Karen Brødsgaard, Line Daugaard, Josephine Touray. Reserves for the last vacant position on the team: Winnie Mølgaard, Christina Roslyng, Rikke Nielsen, Heidi Johansen, Anne Petersen and the injured Kristine Andersen. [June 2004] Lene Rantala not to the Olympics - Pytlick favours the young and inexperienced To everybody's surpise, Jan Pytlick has chosen not to include 35-year old Lene Rantala on the national team, in spite of her wish to do her final contribution to her team after 13 years of fantastic goalkeeping. Is she getting that old and heavy, that she is due to retirement, then? Oh, no, Lene has never been better - even just been awarded the title as the best league player in Norway (she plays for Larvik). As many other men, Pytlick is more focused on youth, even though Bager Nørgaard is just getting her experience developed and Karin Mortensen's results have been most disappointing and below the acceptable standard. Rantala is of course very sad about this stupid decision - she had hoped to end her brilliant career of 13 years with a helping hand to yet another a medal. And medals, she has helped the team to win ever since it broke through for the very first time in 1993. What a shameful treatment of one of our greatest goalkeepers since Susanne Munk Lauritzen.
[May 2004] Denmark - Korea 1: 24-24 Players: Lene Rantala, Karin Mortensen, Rikke Poulsen, Louise Bager, Rikke Skov, Henriette Mikkelsen, Mette Sjøberg (Horsens), Mette Vestergaard, Winnie Mølgaard, Christina Roslyng, Rikke Nielsen, Heidi Johansen, Camilla Thomsen, Tine Ladefoged, Trine Jensen, Katrine Fruelund, Anne Petersen, Karen Brødsgaard, Katrine Munch. Lotte Kiærskou, Rikke Hørlykke and Kristine Andersen are not quite ready yet. A Korean team which is said to be a candidate for the coming Olympic gold. [March 2004] Olympic groups found - and Denmark is in a really tough competition with France, South Korea plus Spain and Angola. * 7/3: Denmark - Hungary: ?
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