Norway's stars sweep awards at prestigious Idrettsgallaen
06 Jan. 2025
The prestigious Idrettsgallaen, the gala honouring the best Norwegian athletes of the past year, was a resounding success for Norwegian handball, with several awards heading to the players and coaches who made possible a fantastic 2024 for the sport in the Scandinavian country.
The women’s senior handball team, which became Olympic champions at Paris 2024 and also won the EHF EURO 2024, was named the “Team of the Year”, after a virtually flawless 2024.
At the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Norway secured their third gold medal, with seven wins and a single loss, against Sweden. They swept their way to the title, securing a 32:15 win in the quarter-finals against Brazil, a 25:21 win against Denmark in the semi-finals and then a dominating performance against France in the final, 29:21.
At the EHF EURO 2024, Norway won all the nine matches played, scoring 300 goals and clinching a clear 31:23 win in the final against Denmark.
“The best thing about teams is that you don't do it alone, and that's why I want to thank all the girls for this,” said Stine Oftedal Dahmke, the fulcrum of Norway’s performance at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, her last major international competition before retiring from handball.
The former centre back has also been named the “Role Model of the Year” at the Idrettsgallaen, being selected by a special panel for her contribution for on and off the court antics in 2024.
“I didn't expect that at all. That's probably what many people say. Now I'm actually shocked and moved,” said Oftedal Dahmke.
Thorir Hergeirsson, who led the team to a fantastic performance in 2024, before stepping down and being replaced by Ole Gustav Gjekstad from this summer, was named the Coach of the Year in Norway.
Hergeirsson led Norway to 20 major international competitions in his 15-year tenure, winning 11 titles, including three IHF Women’s World Championship titles and two Olympic Games titles.