Bosnia Herzegovina and Kosovo claim M18 EHF Championships trophies

Young talents from 15 different nations took the centre stage at the Men’s 18 EHF Championship I in Slovakia and the Men’s 18 EHF Championship II in Kosovo. The competitions took place between 12 and 18 August and culminated on Sunday with the bronze-medal matches and the finals. 

• a perfect record of victories helped Bosnia Herzegovina win the championship in Slovakia in an exciting final against Latvia (38:26)
• in the bronze medal match in Humenne, Türkiye took the lead from the beginning and managed to stay ahead for the whole game, reaching even a six-goal advantage at one point
• Türkiye’s Sadik Emre Herseklioglu put on a great show in the final, netting 15 times and becoming the overall top scorer of the tournament with 60 goals
• hosts Kosovo had a less-than-ideal start at the Men’s 18 EHF Championship, losing their first group match against future bronze-medallists Belgium
• both Sunday matches in Pristina featured clear wins, as Belgium boasted a 14-goal difference against Luxembourg to grab the bronze medal (36:22), while Kosovo kept a steady lead during the final to win 30:22 against Georgia
• young star Olsi Mulaj was crucial for Kosovo’s journey to the title, netting 11 times in the final and topping the goalscorers chart with 44 total goals

Kosovo and Olsi Mulaj stunned in front of the home crowd

An opening loss against Belgium was not what Kosovo had hoped for, but the hosts proved they have exceptional mental strength and managed to make a powerful comeback in the following matches. For the remaining two games in the preliminary round, ruthless Kosovo grabbed their victories with more than 10 goals advantage, finishing second in the group and making their way to the semi-finals.

The amazing Olsi Mulaj was an indispensable asset for the team in the preliminary round and his performance only grew stronger during the tournament. In the semi-final against Luxembourg, Mulaj scored eight times to secure his team’s presence in Sunday’s final. The 17-year-old left back led Kosovo’s attack in the final as well, getting 11 shots past the Georgian defence to grab the trophy.

All-star Team M18 EHF Championship I (Slovakia)

Goalkeeper: Mihajlo Vujadinovic (Bosnia Herzegovina)

Left wing: Benjamin Gagyi (Slovakia)

Left back: Sadik Emre Herseklioglu (Türkiye)

Playmaker: Alem Hadzimuhamedovic (Bosnia Herzegovina)

Pivot: Kayra Mete (Türkiye)

Right back: Valdis Kalnins (Latvia)

Right wing: Andis Bors (Latvia)

Best defender: Anes Devedzic (Netherlands)

Top scorer: Sadik Emre Herseklioglu (Türkiye)

MVP: Alem Hadzic (Bosnia Herzegovina)

All-star Team M18 EHF Championship II (Kosovo)

Goalkeeper: Olt Kabashi (Kosovo)

Left wing: Aleksandre Shioshvili (Georgia)

Left back: Davit Grishikashvili (Georgia)

Playmaker: Andre Seth (Belgium)

Pivot: Davit Khelisupali (Georgia)

Right back: Bob Mousel (Luxembourg)

Right wing: Louis Fransen (Belgium)

Best defender: Olsi Mulaj (Kosovo)

Top scorer: Olsi Mulaj (Kosovo)

MVP: Andre Seth (Belgium)