Empower to Inspire: Baumann aims higher after home EHF EURO

The Women’s EHF EURO 2024 in November and December marked Switzerland’s second major championship, following their debut at the 2022 edition. Among the team playing the home event in 2024 was 17-year-old left wing Era Baumann, who emerged as one of the side’s most important individuals, finishing fifth on their scorer list. 

Switzerland capitalised on the home EURO and took a significant step forward, not only winning their first games at a major tournament, but securing a place in the main round. In 2022, Switzerland’s preliminary round campaign saw two defeats and one draw, versus Croatia. In 2024, they defeated Faroe Islands and Croatia, and lost to the ultimate runners-up at the tournament, Denmark, by five. 

As Baumann stands on the precipice of her career fully taking off, the future looks bright. Aside from the already strong development of the national team, which gives Switzerland and Baumann hope to continue progressing further, the young left wing is about to take a big step in her club career. This summer, she will move to Viborg, joining the three-time EHF Champions League winners from her current club GC Amicitia Zürich. 

With Zürich, Baumann made her international club debut this season, playing qualification round 2 of the EHF European League, with Baumann scoring seven goals across the two matches.

The dreams

Given the development of not only the national team, but women’s handball in Switzerland in general, through the opening of a dedicated academy in 2020, Baumann’s dreams have been shifting and continue to do so. 

“I ask these questions myself quite a lot. For me, I think it's mostly just about reaching everything possible for myself. Putting in the work and doing everything I can and then just seeing how far I can go. And then of course, dreams are playing the Champions League and then maybe winning it,” says Baumann, before commenting on the national team. 

“Every championship qualifying and then going from there.”

While Baumann is reserved in the national team goals, she says the experience of the EHF EURO 2024 and seeing what Switzerland could achieve in only their second major tournament was a boost that impacts what they can hope for. 

“I think it all started with believing in it, and now we can believe in even more, of course. If you get to something you have higher ambitions afterwards. For us, it's really, I think, step by step going now. We want to qualify for every single championship — World or EURO — and there reach main rounds and play the top 12.”

Looking to the more immediate future, Baumann positively anticipates the upcoming move to Viborg. 

“I'm just really excited. Really looking forward to, of course, playing handball on a higher level, having bigger challenges as well. And then also personally how I will get along with new people. I have to meet new people. Totally new environment. Of course, I'm not in my safe space anymore. And so just really excited and really looking forward.”

In terms of achieving her goal of going as far as she can personally, Baumann says it is all about giving 100 per cent all the time. 

“It's just about giving everything when I do something. When I go to training, I train as hard or as good as I can or try with intensity and do it 100 per cent. And then also doing the recovery. Just everything around it. Eating the right things.”

Given her age, Baumann has been in a period of sharp growth when it comes to handling the day to day of being a professional athlete as she moves towards the achievement of her goals. The academy and EHF’s Respect Your Talent programme, of which Baumann has been part since the W17 EHF EURO 2023, have been instrumental in that.

“In Switzerland, we have this academy, handball academy, and there we have a lot of inputs. They teach us about, for example, nourishment and everything. But also in the Respect Your Talent campaign from the EHF. There I learned a lot. Also, it’s just nice getting into contact with all these great players, and hearing from their experience,” says Baumann, adding that the most important message from those players involved in the RYT programme as ambassadors is simply that you must do the work, otherwise nothing can be achieved. 

The biggest challenge

Baumann says that so far, she has not faced any enormous challenges — those she has come across are mostly in line with what many experience as professional athletes, namely, moving away from home to pursue their sport. Baumann was just 15 when she joined the academy, which took her away from home Monday to Friday. 

“In general, I wouldn't say that I have had like a big, big challenge. I’ve been very lucky to be honest, also with injuries. But for me, If I had to choose something, it would be that when I could go to the academy, I needed to move out from my parent’s place and go there and live there from Monday to Friday. For me, that was very new. I’m very close to my parents and to my family in general, so that was an adjustment for me, but we managed. And through their help, I can do this,” says Baumann.

Baumann does not have an immediate answer regarding a current challenge — her career is on track and things have been developing well. “That's hard. Sometimes I have a lot going on, also now, thinking about next season and everything. And then maybe I just kind of get caught in these thoughts — I just think a lot and then sometimes I cannot sleep that well because of that. So, that sleep and maybe getting this kind of recovery — sometimes it's a bit tougher at the moment,” she says. 

The biggest inspiration

Baumann can name two players who have stood out to her as the most important role models — two different players in terms of both position and the reason Baumann looks up to them. 

“Camilla Herrem — of course, as a left wing and I just love watching her play. She’s just full of joy when she plays and I think you can really feel that as spectator, and every time I watch her play, I just get happy myself,” says Baumann of the Norwegian who has just ended her international career, bowing out with her sixth EHF EURO title and as Olympic champion. 

“The other one would be probably Andrea Lekic. She was also someone I met in the Respect Your Talent camp and I was really impressed. She really left a message,” says Baumann of the Serbian centre back, whose attitude both on and off court is what stands out for the Switzerland wing. 

“She leaves her heart out on the court, and I love that, to see her play. It’s really a fighter mentality.”

All photos © kolektiff images