Denmark denied France a third consecutive Olympic gold medal in men’s handball yesterday, beating the favourites 28-26 on the last day of the Rio Games.
Denmark were in the lead 16-14 by half-time, but had to fight until the end against their French rivals. It is the first-ever Olympic medal in men’s handball for Denmark. Their previous best finish had been fourth place in 1984.
France, on the other hand, now have four Olympic medals under their belt, along with the three worlds and two European titles won since the 2008 Games in Beijing.
Earlier, Germany won bronze in the tournament by defeating Poland 31-25. It was the first Olympic medal for the German handballers since their silver at the 2004 Games in Athens. Their team in Rio de Janeiro was the only one with an average age under 26.
Poland led early in the match, at one point establishing an 8-5 lead. But after Uwe Gensheimer’s equalizer to make it 8-8, Germany took control of the match and held a 17-13 lead at half-time. They never looked back after that.