Goals or assists – Annika Lott loves them both

Annika Lott was one of the key players for Thüringer HC when the German side made it all the way to the EHF Finals 2023 in Graz. Counting from the start of the group phase, Lott netted 68 times – including 12 at the EHF Finals – and became the competition’s top scorer.

It would not be Lott’s last individual award last season, as the back court ace was named best player f the German Bundesliga. Thüringer HC finished as runners-up behind SG BBM Bietigheim, qualified for the EHF European League again, and were seeded straight for the group phase – avoiding the two qualification rounds.

For months, Lott has been on the fast lane. Since March, she is a regular in the German national team, which is currently competing at the 2023 IHF World Championship. She celebrated her 24th birthday on the day when Germany earned a crucial main round win against Romania. Meanwhile, Germany have made it into the quarter-finals.

And in January, Lott and Thüringer HC will be back on track in the EHF European League group phase. And of course, she dreams of returning to the EHF Finals.

“I am really happy with the way THC and the national team play right now, and I am happy with my performances,” Lott says.

“Besides my comeback in the national team, playing at Graz was the highlight of my career, as I had not played on that level before. And once you were there, you want to return, of course.”

But the hurdles, already in the group phase, are high: THC are set to face H.C. Dunarea Braila from Romania, who include former THC line player Meike Schmelzer and who eliminated last season’s finalists BV Borussia 09 Dortmund in qualification; Chambray Touraine Handball from France with former THC player Manon Houette; and Croatian side HC Lokomotiva Zagreb.

“The way to the EHF Finals will be rocky and steep,” says Lott, while her experienced coach Herbert Müller even calls the upcoming matches of group B “duels on Champions League level”.

Born in Romania and previously a coach at Brasov, Müller knows Braila quite well. And the memories of Chambray are positive, as THC eliminated the French side in qualification in the 2022/23 season.

“This a really demanding and challenging group. Braila count on many international stars and travelling there is anything but easy,” Müller says.

“Against Chambray, I expect tough and close duels like last season. And overall, those three teams will fight for the two quarter-final spots, as I expect them to be stronger than Zagreb,” says Müller, who is also long-term coach of the Austria national team, which went out in the main round of the World Championship last week.

Born in the suburbs of Hamburg, Lott first joined the junior team of Bayer Leverkusen, became German under-20 champion, and was part of all younger age categories in the German national teams.

In 2018, Lott joined Buxtehuder SV for four seasons, before she moved to THC in 2022.

“I wanted to play on the international stage and I was looking for a new challenge at a club with ambitious goals. And to join Thüringer HC was absolutely the right decision, also taking into account my development to be part of the national team,” Lott as.

The splendid 2022/23 season does not increase the pressure, Lott feels.

“I started well, I am in a flow at the moment. I know what I am capable of and what I still have to learn. Therefore, there is no extra pressure on me right now,” she says.

It is Lott’s special advantage that she can play as left back with a constant hunger for goals, or as centre back to steer the match: “I like to play both roles, I love to score but also to assist.”

This versatile style of playing and her goals raised the interest of top clubs – and in June 2024, Lott will move abroad for the first time, joining French runners-up and EHF Champions League participants Brest Bretagne Handball.

“It was my dream to play Champions League, and I want to develop further in this professional and ambitious club,” said Lott.

THC team manager and managing director Maik Schenk says “Annika has become an absolute leader for THC and shines with excellent performances in the national team.”

“As one of the top players in the Bundesliga, she has attracted the attention of other clubs. Now she is going to take the next step in her career – but we know that Anni will give 100 percent for THC until her last shot,” Schenk says.

And all at Thüringer HC hope that Lott’s last shot will come at the EHF Finals in May.