Norway

It was only in December 2012 that the Norwegian dominance in women's handball came to an abrupt halt when the Scandinavian team lost the final at the EHF EURO 2012 in Serbia 31:34 against Montenegro after double extra time.
Prior to that Norway had triumphed at three consecutive major tournaments, starting with the EHF EURO 2010, continuing with the World Championship 2011 and concluding at the 2012 Olympic Games. And even though the EHF EURO Qualification was new terrain, Norway, led by 2011 and 2012 World Handball Coach of the Year Thorir Hergeirsson, were the overwhelming favourites to win their group and they did so inunbeaten fashion.
It remains to be seen, however, what performance the team will be able to produce in Hungary and Croatia as important players such as goalkeeper Katrine Lunde (pregnant) will be missing.
Team Roster
Key Players
Linn-Kristin Riegelhuth Koren
Linn-Kristin Riegelhuth Koren has won all titles available in the world of handball. She was named World Handball Player of the Year and she won the Olympic Games in 2008 and 2012, the World Championship in 2011 and even four times the European Championships (2004, 2006, 2008 and 2010).
With Larvik, the club she has been playing for for more than a decade apart from one short stint in Denmark, she also won the Women’s EHF Champions League in 2011 and the Cup Winners’ Cup in 2005. On the court and especially in the counter attack, Linn-Kristin Riegelhuth Koren at the age of 30 still is one of the best players in the world.
Camilla Herrem
28-year-old Camilla Herrem made her debut in the national team in 2006 and has since been part of the teams that won the EHF EURO in 2008 and 2010, the World Championship in 2011 and the Olympic Games in 2012. After having played at Byasen Trondheim for almost a decade, she left her home country at the beginning of the 2014/15 season and joined HCM Baia Mara in Romania.
In 144 internationals Herrem scored 344 times. She is known for her outstanding speed and will be a constant threat in Norway’s counter attacks.
THE COACH - Thorir Hergeirsson
The 50-year-old Icelandic has been part of the Norwegian women's national team coaching team since 2001 when he started working as the assistant coach of Marit Breivik. In 2009 he took over at the helm, winning the EHF EURO 2010, the World Championship 2011 and the 2012 Olympic Games since.
"It's with excitement that we are looking forward to taking part at the European Championship 2014. The team is still in a changing period in which established players have been replaced by new ones. We have still some experienced players, and those mixed with the future players will make up for an exciting mix," he says.
"We are going to the championship with a focus on one match at a time and are as always trying to develop our play during the championship. We are really looking forward to be a part of the upcoming event in December."
Past Performance at EHF EURO Events
Year | Event host | Place/Medal |
---|---|---|
1994 | Germany | Bronze |
1996 | Denmark | Silver |
1998 | Netherlands | Gold |
2000 | Romania | 6th |
2002 | Denmark | Silver |
2004 | Hungary | Gold |
2006 | Sweden | Gold |
2008 | FYR Macedonia | Gold |
2010 | Denmark/Norway | Gold |
2012 | Serbia | Silver |