Anja Andersen
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Anja Andersen (born February 15, 1969 in Odense, Denmark) is a female handball player known for both her skills as an offensive player, her strong temper and courage to make dramatic scenes and daring tricks during a match. She has played 133 matches for the Danish national handball team for women and has scored 726 goals.
Anja Andersen was largely responsible for the renaissance in Danish handball during the 1990s. Her strong temper and impressive skills afforded everybody an opinion and after the first gold medal at the European championship in 1994 the national team affectionately earned the nickname "the iron ladies" and status of national sports heroes.
Although the national handball team of the 1990s had many profiles it is undisputed that Anja Andersen was the most prolific and controversial. Although nobody questioned her skills, her temper, causing numerous expulsions from high profile matches, was an issue of some debate. At the 1996 Olympics the coach, Ulrik Wilbek, briefly banned her from the team due to disputes of playing style and behavior on the floor.
It was also Anja Andersen who introduced handball to true showmanship. Greatly influenced by basketball and notably the Harlem Globetrotters she invented a playing style aimed at the audience rather than the opposing team. After her retirement as an active player she organized a "dream team" of the best female handball players in 2000 and 2001 which played a selected Danish team. The "dream team" matches was a success but they stopped when Anja Andersen could no longer play actively herself.
Because of a heart defect, she no longer plays actively herself as of 1999 and instead coaches the Slagelse handball team in Denmark.
During her active career as a handball player she won numerous tournaments:
- 1987 Silver at the Junior World Championship
- 1992 and 1999 Norwegian champion with Bækkelaget
- 1993 silver at the World Championship
- 1994 and 1996 European Champion
- 1995 bronze at the World Championship
- 1996 Olympic Gold medalist
- 1997 World Champion
- 1994 elected world second best female handball player
- 1998 elected world best female handball player
Her career as a coach has also yielded results:
- 2003 Danish Champions as coach for Slagelse
- 2004 and 2005 winner of Champions League
She has also just become a coach for the national handball team of Serbia and Montenegro, whose 4 players are already being coached by her in Slagelse.
