Handball star Rune Dahmke and Stine Oftedal: Baby Amelie is here!

Handball star Rune Dahmke and Stine Oftedal: Baby Amelie is here!

New parents in the handball world! Rune Dahmke and his wife Stine Oftedal Dahmke gave birth to their first daughter, Amelie, on July 10, 2025. The good news was announced by Rune himself via his Instagram profile. He also posted a touching picture of Stine in the hospital, in which she is carrying newborn Amelie on her chest. Rune wrote: "Say hello to Amelie. There's nothing bigger than that."

Among the many congratulations that greeted the couple on social media, THW Kiel, Rune's factory association, also congratulated with the words: "Congratulations and welcome to the THW family, Amelie!" This event not only marks a new phase of life for the Dahmkes, but also a wonderful time for the handball couple, who have been together since 2017 and married in Kiel in August 2024.

Parents' background

Stine Oftedal is celebrated as one of the most successful players in the history of handball. In 2019 she was voted World Handball Player of the Year and triumphed with the Norwegian national team at the Olympic Games in Paris in 2024. Rune Dahmke, who has been playing for THW Kiel since 2012, also made great progress with his team and secured the silver medal at the Olympic Games a year earlier.

Both athletes have not only celebrated great success on the field, but have also formed a strong bond with each other, despite challenges such as a long long-distance relationship. Stine was active as a player for the Hungarian club Győri ETO KC until Amelie was born, but has announced that she will end her sporting career after winning the 2024 Olympics in order to devote herself fully to motherhood.

Handball and its history

The history of handball goes back to the 20th century, when the Dane Holger Nielsen published the first rules in 1906. Over the years the game evolved, with field handball and indoor handball being popular at different periods. Handball is a sport that inspires with its fast pace and team dynamics and is firmly anchored in European sports culture.

Since the first international matches took place in 1925, handball has become a globally valued discipline. Particularly noteworthy are the 1936 Olympic Games, where field handball was created as an Olympic discipline. Today, handball is played not only indoors but also on the beach, with beach handball emerging in the 1990s and gaining more and more fans.

With Amelie, the Dahmke handball couple now has a new challenge in front of them, which in the best case scenario could outshine the joy and pride of their previous successes. It is quite possible that we will also hear about a little handball player Amelie in the future - the signs for this seem to be good!