France's champion handball boss urges players to work for Olympic glory

French handball coach Olivier Krumbholz urged his victorious women's world championship squad to dedicate themselves to the national team in order to retain their Olympic crown in Paris next summer.

France won the women's handball world championship for the third time after beating Norway 31-28 in the final at the 2023 tournament. © AP / Claus Fisker

Krumbholz's players outlasted Norway on Sunday night to give France the women's world handball title for a third time.

They claimed a pulsating final 31-28 at the Jyske Bank Boxen to gain revenge for their defeat to the same opponents in 2021.

"There are several players who are yet to reach their best level," Krumbholz told the French sports newspaper L'Equipe.

"They need to really work hard and dedicate themselves to the French team – obviously without neglecting their clubs otherwise that will start an unnecessary argument," he said.

"But the Olympics in France for the French team will be the competition of a lifetime and if the players aren't in brilliant shape, they'll mess up that one chance of a lifetime."

Well-deserved victory

France went into the showdown in Herning in supreme form. After scraping past Angola 30-29 in their opening game of the tournament on 30 November in Stavanger, they crushed Iceland 31-22 and beat Slovenia 31-27 to move into the group stages in Trondheim.

There they walloped Austria and South Korea before beating Norway 24-23 to advance to the last eight.

On 12 December, Krumbholz's charges eased past the Czech Republic 33-22 in the quarter-final and three days later overpowered Sweden 37-28 in the semis.

"We had to go out and get the win and the title," France defender Laura Flippes told the French national handball team website.

"It wasn't handed to us. We played an incredible match and an incredible competition in which we didn't lose a game. We deserve what we've got."

Goalkeeper Hatadou Sako added: "We were all working for the same goal like we have been from the start of the competition.

"Even when I didn't play I had the feeling that I was important, so when I did play I wanted to show my best and didn't want to let anyone down."

Krumbholz, 65, who has led the team since 2016, is expected to step down after the Olympic Games in Paris.