Oftedal: “Almost too good to be true”

Three Olympic Games in her career; three Olympic medals. The first two were bronze, with the Rio 2016 medal coming at a time that Norway were both the European and world title holders. The one-goal semi-final loss to Russia after overtime was therefore a shock. Although the bronze brought celebration, there was no doubt Oftedal and Norway wanted to be on top of the podium.

But at Tokyo 2020, the same story unfolded: Norway were defeated by just one goal by the same opponents. They recovered to claim the bronze medal, but it was still not the colour to fully satisfy the highly competitive and determined team led by an individual who exemplifies those qualities — their captain, Oftedal.

In the lead up to Paris 2024, Norway clinched their ninth European title and finished as runners-up at the 2023 World Championship. Oftedal was named All-star Team centre back at both tournaments. On a club level, Oftedal celebrated a return to the EHF Champions League throne, taking her third title in the top-flight competition with Györ. She was also named MVP of the EHF FINAL4 for her performance.

The situation leading up to Paris 2024 could hardly have been more perfect. Entering the Olympics absolutely on top of her game with a Norway team that had recovered from a brief period of no titles to be back as one of the leading favourites for the gold medal, the dream end to Oftedal’s career was within reach.

A shock first loss to Sweden might have shaken Norway, but they did not stumble again after that. Seven straight wins, including three clear victories in the knockout stage, saw Norway and Oftedal prove themselves the dominant force at Paris 2024. The fact it was the previous Olympic title holders and hosts France — the only team Oftedal ever lost a World Championship final to — only made the story more perfect.

Oftedal even has strong personal ties to France, having started her career abroad with Issy-Paris Hand, where she spent four seasons before joining Györ. By the time Oftedal made the move to Györ in 2017, handball fans were itching to see the centre back in the Champions League, and she duly left her mark on that competition, being named All-star Team centre back four times in a row from 2019 to 2022.

Since 2019, Oftedal has played alongside France captain Estelle Nze Minko at Györ. As the final buzzer sounded on the 2023 World Championship final, Oftedal had the ball and dropped it to be the first to acknowledge France’s victory to the defender in front of her, Nze Minko. On Saturday in Lille, as the Paris 2024 competition concluded, the situation was reversed, but the focus between the two great captains was on more than the title: “I told Stine that she has been amazing. She has been a role model. She inspired us all. She was fantastic and it is really sad to see her retiring,” Nze Minko told the IHF.

Indeed, Oftedal’s legacy in handball stretches far beyond the titles and medals. The game has been becoming faster and faster over the years, and Oftedal has thrived in that, pushing handball to new limits as she and her teammates for Norway and at Györ were an integral part of showing previously unseen possibilities.

But the legacy of titles and medals is immense. Overall, Oftedal leaves Norway with nine trophies won — three at the World Championship, five at the EHF EURO, and now one at the Olympics. Oftedal’s teammate Katrine Lunde, who was previously the record holder in women’s handball for national team titles won, has now joined Nikola Karabatic — another of the great retirees after Paris 2024 — as the outright leader in this statistic: The two have each won 11 trophies in their country’s jerseys.

Naturally, Oftedal first picked up a handball in her native Norway. “I grew up in a handball family and it was basically written for me to take up the sport,” she said in her This is me story. She started at Nit-Hak and then played at Helset and Stabæk, before transferring to Issy Paris in 2008. Her national team debut came in 2010, although she would not become a core part of the side until the EHF EURO 2014. She became team captain in 2015.

Handball has been and remains an enormous part of Oftedal’s life. Her mother was a player and coach. Her sister Hanna also played the sport, and her brother-in-law, married to Hanna, is Norway men’s team star Sander Sagosen. Last year, Oftedal got engaged to her handball-player boyfriend, German Rune Dahmke, who won the silver medal at Paris 2024 — even more icing on the cake for a perfect career end for Oftedal.

Overall, Oftedal’s career-end medal count for Norway stands at 14. Alongside the titles and numerous international individual awards — a total of six All-star Team nods, including at Paris 2024, and one MVP award at senior national team championships — Oftedal was named 2019 IHF World Player of the Year.

Now, she has won everything there is to win in the sport. On top of that, she has been a key in changing the game to the thrilling fast-paced one we enjoy today. And she has shown what it is to be a leader of a national team, truly spearheading Norway’s success on court. As Oftedal said of the Paris 2024 gold to NRK.no: “It's almost too good to be true. But then it's true nonetheless.”

Photos: IHF/kolektiff images