Running mates and ‘fika’ from a distance
Running mates and ‘fika’ from a distance
Distance socialising, continuing training with tiny workout buddies and discussion of the EHF Champions League votes were among the main topics of focus in the handball community on social media over the past week.
As of Tuesday, the votes for both the VELUX EHF Champions League and DELO WOMEN’S EHF Champions League All-star Teams in 2019/20 are open. After the DELO WOMEN’S EHF Champions League vote opened last week, it was time for the men’s clubs to celebrate their nominations and encourage fans to have their say.
Both MOL-Pick Szeged and PGE VIVE Kielce celebrated four nominations in the All-star Team, while FC Porto counted three.
Considering the talent mill the club has been for many years, it is little surprise that RK Celje Pivovarna Lasko’s All-star Team nominee was in the best young player category.
The Slovenian club shared the best statistics of and encouraged voting for their young Croatian back Josip Sarac, who was particularly important in the club’s two victories over neighbouring rivals Zagreb during the season.
The coaches’ choice for best coach of the season, Barça’s Xavi Pascual, underwent surgery this week. The club looks forward to him being back to his usual activities in approximately two weeks.
Over to the DELO WOMEN’S EHF Champions League, this week, title holders Györi Audi ETO KC donated blood at a local medical centre and encouraged others to do the same wherever possible.
Meanwhile, Rostov-Don back Anna Sen spent quality time with teammates who are departing the club at a time that would usually be the season end. While Mayya Petrova and Regina Kalinichenko are both ending their careers, Marina Sudakova is transferring clubs.
France team captain Siraba Dembele Pavlovic, scheduled to join CSM Bucuresti this summer, also spent some quality time – but with her husband and two little sons.
While Dembele’s children might not be quite ready to train alongside their EHF EURO 2018 champion mother, Szeged line player Matej Gaber’s are big enough to act as cycling pacemakers for their dad while he goes for a run.
Gaber’s fellow Slovenians were back together this week, with the men’s national team gathering in Ljubljana for a reunion following their successful EHF EURO 2020 campaign in January, which saw the side reach the semi-finals.
The team participated in some media activities, and we enjoyed a surprise cameo appearance from the backdrop during an interview with Kiel centre back Miha Zarabec.
But not everyone can enjoy reunions quite yet. Some are still soaking up the quiet lockdown time with close friends and family, like Porto wing Antonio Areia, who has found a pretty spectacular spot to make confinement easier.
Another dangerous wing, Cocks’ Teemu Tamminen, also made the most of outdoor time and showed off the great scenery in his homeland.
Paddling in the middle of a lake seems an easy way to adhere to distancing measures – but it is also easily done in more familiar settings, as Swedish club IK Sävehof showed us.
Representatives of the club travelled an hour to visit an elderly couple who are loyal fans of the team and are present at all home matches, enjoying ‘fika’ together but apart. Just two of the fans that are surely counting down the days until handball returns to the court!
