U21 World Cup in Poland: THW Kiels Pabst and Kutz fight for gold!

U21 World Cup in Poland: THW Kiels Pabst and Kutz fight for gold!

An exciting event is just around the corner: From June 19, the Handball World Championship of the U21 juniors begins in Poland. The German national team will also be represented in this high -class competition, and two stars from the THW Kiel will be central figures on the field. Linus Kutz and Henri Pabst, both talented players of the traditional Kiel association, have already impressively drawn attention to themselves in the preparation and now want to prove themselves on international parquet. The duo received their first professional contracts at the THW Kiel and they have been part of the association since 2019.

The team under the direction of national coach Martin Heuberger looks optimistically at the preliminary round. The German handball players compete in their group against Serbia, Switzerland and Tunisia at 9 p.m. Pabst, who runs the team as a captain, has great goals. "We want to complete the group phase with three wins," he said confidently. In the last test games against Portugal, both of whom were won, the team showed that it is well in shape and ready for the challenges of the World Cup.

Change to the 2nd league

Not only the World Cup is on the program. After the tournament, another step is waiting in the career of the two players: Both Kutz and Pabst will leave the THW Kiel in the 2nd league. Kutz moved to VfL Eintracht Hagen, who landed eighth in the second division last season, while Pabst goes to TuS N-Lübbecke, who took 15th place. The change should offer both players the opportunity to collect more game practice, a crucial experience in their development as a handball player.

Even THW managing director Viktor Szilagyi praises the performance of both players and describes these transfers as logical steps. Kutz, who impressed in training and in the third division, has signed a professional contract for the next two years. Pabst also hopes for more time in Lübbecke and sees the World Cup as a perfect platform to learn and develop for its future challenges.

success and challenges

Both players can already look back on some successes: Kutz was part of the U17 national team in 2022, who won the gold medal at the European Youth Festival (Eyof). Pabst, on the other hand, celebrated the win of the bronze medal at the European Cup of European Cup 2022 with the German U18 national team. These successes underpin their potential and show that they know how to perform in printing situations.

Overall, German handball fans can look forward to exciting games and the opportunity to get to know the next talents in handball. The U21 Handball World Championship, which has been held every two years since 1977, not only promises high-class sport, but also the chance for the players to prove themselves at an international level. In the meantime, Germany as the defending champion will accept the challenge of winning the gold medal won in Berlin in 2023.

also visit the official pages of the International Handball Federation (IHF) to get all information about the World Cup and the German national team.