handball
Goalkeeper as a beacon of hope at World Cup: transformed Wolff
Germany’s Andreas Wolff (r) holds a seven-meter throw. photo
© Axel Heimken/dpa
Andreas Wolff’s star rose when he triumphed at the 2016 European Championship. The goalkeeper wants to shine again at the Handball World Championships in his sporting adopted home of Poland.
You’ve never seen Andreas Wolff so easygoing and relaxed as he is these days before a big tournament. No trace of excess adrenaline or exuberant ambition – the goalkeeper, who was often impulsive in the past, is calm personified before the start of the German handball team in the World Cup this Friday against the Asian champions Qatar.
“I talked a lot with the coaches and teammates and also with a sports psychologist. I realized that blind ambition is not effective and that there is no point in putting yourself under pressure so that you feel like you have the whole world on your shoulders “Wolff reported on his personal metamorphosis before the German team left for Katowice on Thursday.
Wolff: “Maturity process makes me see Dine more relaxed”
Gone are the days when he thought he had to hold every ball in every game and single-handedly lead the team to victory. “I realized that handball is a team sport and that it’s sometimes more important to only keep the important balls. That’s a maturing process that I’ve gone through. It means that I see things more relaxed,” said the 31-year-old .
In the finals in Poland and Sweden, Wolff, who forms the German team between the posts with World Cup newcomer Joel Birlehm, still has an important role to play. “We have two good goalkeepers with us. But it’s clear that Andi is number one. He’s much more experienced and in very good shape,” emphasized national coach Alfred Gislason.
Wolff, who confirmed this assessment with strong performances in the two World Cup tests against Iceland last weekend, doesn’t worry about it. “I’ve learned not to take it seriously if I’m number one. It’s important to me that we as a team have an advantage over our opponents and that the boys can rely on us,” said the 2016 European champion.
His star rose in the last gold triumph of a DHB selection. However, Wolff did not manage such a good tournament at a constant world-class level afterwards. Now he seems ready for new sporting exploits. Because even if he has become calmer on the outside: he still has ambition. “As an athlete you want to win every game. Of course that would mean that we would be world champions,” said Wolff.
For Wolff, the World Cup in Poland is almost a home game
A medal or even the third world title of a DHB selection after 1978 and 2007 cannot be expected given the performance at the past major events, but Wolff put it into perspective. That’s why the keeper has set a different World Cup goal: “It would be a success for me if I can say after the tournament that we showed determination, concentration, emotion and passion in every game. If we lose, then we should raise it do the main thing.”
The fact that the German team is playing its preliminary round games – and if it advances also the main round games – in Katowice makes the World Cup almost a home game for Wolff. Since 2019 he has been playing and living in Kielce, just 120 kilometers away. “This is a special tournament for me,” said the 1.98 meter tall giant. “Theoretically, I could go home after the games and see if everything is okay in my apartment. That’s strange.”
Of course, Wolff will not do that: In the next two and a half weeks, his focus will be exclusively on the DHB selection, with which he is aiming to return to the top of the world after the last seven tournaments without a medal. “In terms of potential, a medal could of course be possible, but first we have to start the tournament with a high level of concentration. We’ll see what happens then,” said Wolff.
He has now realized that there is little point in planning everything in advance. That usually goes wrong. “That’s why I stopped worrying about unlaid eggs,” said Wolff. His new motto is: “In handball, whoever has the most fun usually wins.”