BIOGRAPHY
If it was not for a shoulder injury ending her career in 2012, Grit Jurack’s lead at the top of Germany’s standings for most-capped player and record goalscorer could have been extended further. Perhaps she could have added more German player of the year titles to the five she amassed.
From her debut against the USA in 1996 to her final appearance against Czechia, Jurack earned 306 caps and scored 1,581 goals - no other Germany women’s player has come close to four figures. In that time, she picked up two bronze medals at the World Championship.
Jurack was born in Leipzig, in what was then East Germany, in 1977. She stayed close to home for the first half of her club career; turning professional with BSV Schönau Leipzig in 1989 before switching to HC Leipzig in 1993. At HC Leipzig, she won the final two Bundesliga titles of the 20th century, plus two German cups.
Denmark came calling in 2001 and would become the right back’s home for the next 11 years. She got her first taste of European glory in 2002 when winning the EHF Cup with Ikast-Bording before transferring to Viborg HK in 2004. In eight years there, she won the EHF Champions League on three occasions, never having to settle for silver.
She stayed close to the national team after retiring, working as team manager and assistant coach in 2015 and 2016, before becoming a youth coach.
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