Borko Ristovski is a globetrotter. Starting his career in Skopje, the Macedonian goalkeeper first moved to Spain, where he played for Algeciras BM and SD Teucro, then returned to his home city of Skopje, where he joined the two top dogs Vardar and Metalurg.
After that 32-year-old Ristovski moved to Germany for one and a half year, playing for VfL Gummersbach, and after a short intermission at Doha-bound Al-Ahly Club he joined the French club US Creteil at the start of this season in the summer of 2014.
He has been the top choice between the posts for the Macedonian team for almost a decade and has one big dream — to play under the five Olympic rings in Rio de Janeiro. “This is our great goal, and in Doha we want to get as close as possible to our dream destination, Rio.”
After becoming the 2012 European Championship sensations by finishing fifth, Macedonia failed to qualify for the 2012 Olympic Games in London, as they were defeated by Sweden and Hungary in the qualification tournament.
So at the 24th Men’s Handball World Championship in Doha their highly experienced team are making their next attempt to become Olympic athletes. “We have a great team here, and our level of performance is really high. We won our first three matches and gave Croatia a tough fight, which makes us feel very confident to win our last group stage match against Austria and to finish second,” Ristovski says.
He estimates Slovenia to potentially become Macedonia’s opponents in the eighth-finals. “To get closer to Rio de Janeiro, we at least need to reach the quarter-finals, but our team is in a good playing mood to complete this mission successfully,” said the goalkeeper.
Only teams finishing the World Championship on places two to seven in the final ranking are qualified for the Olympic Qualification Tournaments.
Ristovski is satisfied with his own performance in Doha – and statistics underline his important role for his team: Ristovski saved every third shot on the Macedonian goal, relying on the hard working defenders before him and playing with a great deal of confidence.
“We are a well-rehearsed team. At last year’s European Championship we were hit hard by injuries, but at this tournament we weren’t. On our bench we have strong alternatives to put the responsibility of the game on more shoulders.”
Macedonian goalkeeper Borko Ristovski. PICTURE: Thajudheen
