“We have raw data from 180 parameters”

Until the quarter-finals of the Women's Handball World Championship, Germany had a perfect run, taking advantage of the great atmosphere created by the German fans at home. However, for the semifinals of the tournament, the players coached by Markus Gaugisch had to change the arena and went to the Netherlands, in Rotterdam.

Even though they didn't have as much support, Germany pulled off a surprise and eliminated France, the 2023 world champion. The Germans entered the field with a lot of concentration, they took advantage of Antje Doll's good play on the far left and defended very well against the Hexagon national team. A 29-23 victory followed and the first world final in 32 years.

Simon Overkamp, ​​in charge of monitoring the players: “There are no negative consequences”

According to the German publication Bild, the World Championship finalist benefited from some modern technology systems such as Kinexon, which uses a GPS chip integrated into a vest worn by players under the equipment, providing real-time data. In addition, Dr. Simon Overkamp (40), the physical trainer of the national handball teams, has also introduced other applications that measure the quality of sleep and the well-being of female athletes.

“At this World Championship, in addition to the vest, the players also wear a belt that measures the heart rate. We also introduced an application, through which we collect subjective data about their well-being,” Overkamp explained.

“Vesta provides raw data sets of 180 parameters for all 16 players. Important for us are of course number of sprints during the 60 minutes, kilometers run, changes of direction, number of jumps, frequency of lateral movements and minutes played. In addition, the additional belt provides essential data on exertion peaks and recovery periods,” he added.

Overkamp revealed that after waking up, the German national handball players can answer several questions related to their physical and mental state, and the information obtained is intended to help adapt their training.

“The process only takes 60 seconds, and I can give immediate feedback to head coach Markus Gaugisch. So he can better manage training, playing minutes and recovery. No athlete has to fear that if she slept badly, Markus will leave her on the bench. There are no negative consequences. On the contrary, this tool is designed to prevent injuries and identify any abnormalities in time, allowing us to intervene immediately,” explained Germany's physical trainer.

In a match, an Inter runs an average of 4.8 kilometers, while a winger runs about 5.5 kilometers. The maximum speed reached in sprints is 30 km/h, and balls are thrown towards the goal at speeds between 80 and 105 km/h. A player performs about 70 jumps and, in the case of an extreme, about 40 sprints. During the maximum intensity phases, which occur 120-125 times per match, the heart rate reaches values ​​of 190-200 beats per minute

– Bild

Annika Lott: “We can give everything and win against big teams”

After qualifying for the final of the World Championship, the previously mentioned publication dedicated a laudatory material to the national handball team, calling the players “heroines of handball” and pointing out that it was the first victory in an official match against France in 20 years. Germany now face Norway, the four-time world champion, which is undefeated for over 500 days.

It's huge, I can't even describe it. I think we are all speechless. It was an incredible game for us. Another difficult match awaits us. Both teams are very good. We will stay focused on ourselves and see what we can do.

We are not favorites (no with Norway), but we were not against France either. But we showed that we can also be excellent. We can give everything and win against big teams

– Annika Lottquoted by L'Equipe