Respect Your Talent alumna Høgseth triumphs at EHF Finals Women

Two of the RYT players had important roles in their respective teams and both went home with a medal. Ane Cecilie Høgseth celebrated the EHF European League Women 2023/24 title with Storhamar Handball Elite, while Léna Grandveau performed strongly for her side Neptunes Nantes and went home with a bronze medal.

Høgseth has been efficient on the line for the third straight season for her club. The 2019 RYT alumni contributed 16 goals in her first EHF European League Women season, added 23 in the EHF Champions League Women last year and finished the 2023/24 season with 18 goals.

However, Høgseth's biggest strength is not her attack but her defensive skills. The all-rounder was thwarting her opponents in both the semi-final and final matches of the EHF Finals Women. On top of that, she is also good at reading the game and stealing the ball, producing fast breaks for her teammates.

Neptunes Nantes, meanwhile, have one of the brightest young stars in their squad - Léna Grandveau. The French centre back started the season on a high with her club, but the wider handball audience remembers her name after she helped France win the IHF World Championship title. Her performances earned her a 2023 IHF Young Female Player of the Year award and she was up for the task for Nantes as well at the EHF Finals Women 2024.

Grandveau was an important link in Helle Thomsen's play in her second European season. 21-year-old centre back netted three times in the semi-final and five times in the 3/4 placement match, adding four assists to the mix.

Yet, she will be remembered as one of the players who took responsibility for winning the bronze medal. Even though Nantes were leading for 57 minutes of the game, Dunarea Braila made a comeback and took the lead less than one minute before the buzzer. In Nantes' last attack, it was Grandveau who stepped up and scored to equalise and send the match to a penalty shoot-out.

H.C. Dunarea Braila left the EHF Finals Women 2024 empty-handed. Even though the second Romanian team in Graz fought hard and were close to winning bronze, they will have to wait a bit longer to take a first European medal.

Unfortunately, for Andreea Cristina Popa that is no strange feeling. The 23-year-old centre back wrapped up her third EHF Finals appearance with fourth place for the second time in her career. In the 2021/22 season, she lost both games with CS Baia Maire, but she still can be proud of the bronze medal she won in the 2020/21 season.

After scoring 42 times in her first two ELW seasons, she came to the final tournament in Graz with 19 goals on her tally. Despite Braila's low attack efficiency in an 11-goal defeat against CS Gloria 2018 BN, Popa scored once and celebrated two more goals in a high-intensity match against Nantes. Meanwhile, she demonstrated maturity and toughness in her primary role in defence, making Nantes' players sweat during the boiling points of the game.

The youngest RYT alumni among the four in Graz was Popa's teammate, Mariam Mohamed. The 19-year-old left wing has a bright future ahead of her and she will make progress with hard work and dedication.

Even though she wasn't seen on the court frequently and only had limited time given, taking into account she is a third left wing in the squad, she took the best out of what was given. She managed to score a goal at her first-ever EHF Finals event and tasted the excitement of the final day and fight for the medal.

© Anze Malovrh / kolektiff