I have enjoyed some very nice
feedback after the
London Prepares series event, where spectators new to the sport were delighted with the
athleticism
and skill of the players, as well as the excitement of some closely
fought
matches.
For example, the gold medal match was won in the last few seconds of the
game
when Poland’s last shot was saved by the brilliant Austrian goalkeeper
Petra
Blazek.
A thrilling encounter between Great Britain and Angola was among the highlights of the competition.
Handball
heroes
Earlier in the competition the star was
undoubtedly another goalkeeper, Poland’s Patrycja Mikszto, who
caused a mini stampede of schoolchildren who were clamouring for her autograph
after Poland’s defeat of Slovakia!
Handball matches are high-scoring and it is not unusual for over
50 goals to be scored in a match. With throwing much more accurate than
kicking, handball goalkeepers face 40 to 50 shots on goal each match.
I think Mikszto was pleasantly surprised to have become an instant cult hero to
an audience that had probably never heard of her prior to that game.
The GB team managed a very good win over Angola and, although they ultimately
lost a hard-fought battle against Slovakia to finish in sixth place,
the team can take a lot of positives from the tournament. They
showed that they are able to play well and to gain good, competitive results
against leading world teams.
It’s great to think of all the other
fantastic handball players, from Great Britain and nations around the world,
that the largely UK audience will discover and adopt as their heroes during the
Games next year.
Positive
role models
A family with three daughters who attended
the event were inspired by the positive role models that these strong female
athletes exemplified and another family, who previously knew nothing about the
sport, wrote to say how they became caught up in the excitement of the
competition and enjoyed Austria’s
victory over Poland.
I was also delighted by people’s reaction
to the Handball Arena. As one of the permanent buildings on the Park, the venue
will form a significant part of the legacy of the Games, whilst its colourful
seats and intimate feel will contribute to an exciting and
energised Handball event during London 2012.
Dented egos
A few weeks before the London 2012 test event, I had the pleasure of
watching members of the GB women’s team promote their sport at Canary Wharf.
They were asking members of the public to test their skill by throwing a
handball ball at a target, whilst measuring the speed of their throw.
Quite a
few young men in suits participated and put up some reasonable scores, some of
them reaching throw speeds of over 40mph. Not a bad effort considering that the
women’s ball weighs up to 375g, but they were all put to shame by GB star Kathryn
Fudge who managed a throw of 58mph! This led to quite a few dented egos.
Significant
achievements
My team and I had set some key aims which
were achieved at the London Prepares series test event, but I think that the
most significant achievement was that the sport has proven to be one that the
UK public truly enjoy and are willing to support in the future.
Find out more about Handball at London 2012
