The online voting for the World Handball Players 2011 has started. Experts, fans and media will decide who will be the successors of Filip Jícha (CZE) and Cristina Neagu (ROM).
From today on handball fans have the opportunity to vote on who will be awarded best male and best female player for 2011. The online voting takes place on the website of the International Handball Federation.
All nominees are from the European continental federation and also play for European clubs.
An expert jury of famous and successful coaches already made their proposals. In the next step media representatives and fans will leave their votes. The results of all three parties – experts, media and fans – will be evaluated in the end and according to this the best male and the best female player of the year will be announced. Here are the nominees:
MEN
Luc Abalo (FRA)
Born: 6 September 1984, Club: Atletico Madrid (ESP), Position: right wing
World Champion 2009, 2011, European Champion 2006, 2010, Olympic Champion 2008
Champions League winner 2009, Champions League finalist 2011
IHF Super Globe winner 2010, IHF Super Globe finalist 2011
Two times Spanish champion and Spanish cup winner
Mikkel Hansen (DEN)
Born: 22 October 1987, Club AG Kobenhavn (DEN), Position: left back
Silver medallist at World Championship 2011, Top scorer of World Championships 2011, All-star-team member at World Championship 2011
Danish champion and cup winner 2011
Champions League finalist 2010 with FC Barcelona
Thierry Omeyer (FRA)
Born: 2 November 1976, Club: THW Kiel (GER), Position: goalkeeper
World Handball Player of the Year 2008
Olympics Champion 2008, World Champion 2001, 2009 and 2011, European Champion 2006 and 2010, Bronze Medallist at the World Championships 2003, 2005
Champions League winner 2003 (Montpellier), 2007, 2010 (Kiel), IHF Super Globe winner with THW Kiel 2011
Nine times national champion with Montpellier and Kiel, eight times cup winner
Filip Jicha (CZE)
Born: 19.4.1982, Club: THW Kiel (GER), Position: left back
World Handball Player of the Year 2010
Top scorer, All Star Team member and Most Valuable Player at the EURO 2010
Champions League Winner 2010 (with Kiel), Champions League finalist 2008, 2009, EHF Champions Trophy Winner 2007, Top scorer Champions League 2009, 2010, Winner of the IHF Super Globe 2011 with Kiel
German Champion 2008, 2009, 2010, German Cup winner 2008, 2009, 2011, Most Valuable Player of the German Bundesliga 2010, German and Czech Handball Player of the Year 2009 and 2010
Nikola Karabatic (FRA)
Born: 11.4.1984, Club: Montpellier HB (FRA), Position: left back
World Handball Player of the 2007
Olympics Champion 2008, World Champion 2009, 2011, European Champion 2006, 2010, several nominations for All Star Teams at major tournaments.
Champions League winner 2003 (Montpellier), 2007 (THW Kiel), ten nine times national champion and cup winner with Montpellier and Kiel
Former World Handball Players of the Year – MEN
2010: Filip Jicha (Czech Republic)
2009: Slawomir Szmal (Poland)
2008 : Thierry Omeyer (France)
2007 : Nikola Karabatic (France)
2006 : Ivano Balic (Croatia)
2005 : Arpad Sterbik (Serbia)
2004: Henning Fritz (Germany)
2003: Ivano Balic (Croatia)
2002: Bertrand Gille (France)
2001 : Kyung Shin-Yoon (Korea)
2000: Dragan Skrbic (Serbia)
1999: Rafael Guijosa (Spain)
1998: Daniel Stephan (Germany)
1997: Stephane Stoecklin (France)
1996: Talant Dushebajew (Spain)
1995: Jackson Richardson (France)
1994: Talant Dushebajew (Russia)
1990: Magnus Wislander (Sweden)
1989: Kang Jae-Won (Korea)
1988: Veselin Vujovic (Yugoslavia)
WOMEN
Katrine Lunde-Haraldsen (NOR)
Born: 30.3.1980, Club: Audi ETO Györ (HUN), Position: Goalkeeper
Olympics Champion 2008, awarded for Olympics All Star Team
World Champion 2011, Silver Medallist at World Championship 2007, Bronze Medallist at World Championships 2009
European Champion: 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010
Two times Champions League winner (2009, 2010) with Viborg HK
Allison Pineau (FRA)
Born: 2.5.1989, Club Metz HB (FRA), Position: Center back
Silver medallist at World Championships 2009 and 2011
Member of the World Championship All-star-Team 2009, 2011
French champion and cup winner 2011
Heidi Löke (NOR)
Born: 12.12.1982, Club: Audi ETO Györ (HUN), Position: Pivot
World Champion 2011
All-star-team-member at World Championship 2011
Bronze medallist at World Championship 2009
European Champion 2008, 2010
Champions League winner 2011 with Larvik HK, top scorer of Champions league season 2010/2011
Several times Norwegian champion, cup winner and top scorer of Norwegian League
Andrea Penezic (CRO)
Born: 13.11.1985, Club: Krim Mercator Ljubljana (SLO), position: left back
All-star-team member at World Championship 2011
Three times Croatian handball player of the year (2008, 2009, 2011)
Andrea Lekic (SRB)
Born: 6.9.1987, Club: Audi ETO Györ (HUN), Position: centre back
Each four times Slovenian champion and Cup winner with RK Krim Mercator
Most Valuable Player of the Women’s Regional Handball League 2009
Former World Handball Players of the Year – WOMEN
2010: Cristina Neagu (Romania)
2009: Alison Pineau (France)
2008 : Linn-Kristin Riegelhuth (Norway)
2007 : Gro Hammerseng (Norway)
2006 : Nadine Krause (Germany)
2005 : Anita Görbicz (Hungary)
2004: Anita Kulcsar (Hungary)
2003: Bojana Radulovics (Hungary)
2002: Chao Zhai (China)
2001 : Cecilie Leganger (Norway)
2000: Bojana Radulovics (Hungary)
1999: Ausra Fridrikas (Austria)
1998: Trine Haltvik (Norway)
1997: Anja Andersen (Denmark)
1996: O Kyeong Lim (Korea)
1995: Erszebet Kocsis (Hungary)
1994: Mia Hermansson (Sweden)
1990: Jasna Merdan-Kolar (Austria)
1989: Hyun-Mee Kim (Korea)
1988: Svetlana Dasic-Kitic (Yugoslavia)
TEXT: IHF
