THW Kiel as good as champions
Legend Landin celebrates a fairytale farewell
06/07/2023, 10:15 p.m
THW Kiel can hardly be robbed of the title in the Handball Bundesliga. After the win against Wetzlar, things get really emotional on the Förde. Two superstars are said goodbye. One of them, Niklas Landin, once again delivered outstandingly.
In the end, everyone ran towards Niklas Landin, they hugged their star goalkeeper and jumped up and down with him. And the fans in Kiel sang: “Only THW will be German champion”. With the sovereign 38:23 (19:10) against HSG Wetzlar, Kiel almost made the title in the Handball Bundesliga perfect.
Outstanding man was once again Landin, the Dane parried 15 throws and was the celebrated hero – in his last home game for the zebras. What a fairy tale. After eight years in Kiel, the 34-year-old is moving to his Danish homeland in Aalborg in the summer. Landin was given an emotional farewell, as was top star Sander Sagosen. After three years, the Norwegian is joining the financially strong project in Kolstad, Norway. They will say goodbye to Kiel with another title.
“It was a very emotional day. I can hardly believe that I will never play here again – at home,” said a visibly moved Landin to the applause of the spectators: “It was always a great honor to play here.” Miha Zarabec (Wisla Plock) and Yannick Fraatz (Bergischer HC) are also leaving the club.
“But I’ve experienced a lot in sport”
After the thrashing of Wetzlar, the Zebras now have a four-point lead over SC Magdeburg and a goal difference that is 41 goals better. The defending champion only plays against TVB Stuttgart on Thursday – should Magdeburg not win, the title would finally be perfect for Kiel. “We’re on the right track, I would say: 99 percent,” said Domagoj Duvnjak on Sky about the championship: “But I’ve experienced a lot in sport.”
Harald Reinkind was the best scorer for the Zebras with nine goals in front of more than 10,000 spectators in Kiel. The record champions were determined from the start to make the preliminary decision in the title fight. Wetzlar, who had won three of the last seven games against Kiel, had no chance – after the tenth minute Reinkind and Co. pulled away.
The Kiel team also announced that they had extended Reinkind’s contract early until the summer of 2027. “‘Harry’ has developed enormously in Kiel: He has matured into an extremely important player for us, who gives the team stability,” said Jicha: “We really wanted to keep him because of his performance and his commitment, because ‘Harry’ is a pillar of our team.”