ACOG - News - IBM

(26 July 1996; Day 7)

Battle of the Behemoths Set to Match up in Handball

Two of the undefeated teams remaining in the men's handball competition will meet Saturday and should set the tone for the remainder of the week. The two-time Olympic champion, the Russian Federation will look to become the first handball team to win three consecutive gold medals in Olympic history. Sweden, third at the 1995 world championships, is shooting to win its first-ever gold medal.

In a rematch of the 1992 Barcelona gold-medal match, two behemoths in the world of men's handball will butt heads Saturday at 14:30 at the Georgia World Congress Center.

The two teams have different strengths. Whereas the Russians are strong on offense, the Swedes are stringent defenders.

Vassili KOUDINOV leads the Russians and is fourth in the tournament in scoring, notching a six goal per-game average. In 15 attempts, KOUDINOV has converted on 12. The Russians also have the top passer as Oleg KISSELEV is tied for the lead with 3.5 assists a game.

Yet, where Russia really dominates is their ability to score. They lead the way in team scoring with 63 goals, giving them a 13.5 goals-per-game average margin of victory. In addition, they shoot 70.78 percent from the field, far and away superior over the rest of the field.

In contrast, Sweden, with its super goalkeeping duo of Thomas SVENSSON and Mats OLSSON, is one of the toughest teams to score upon. Although Russia and Egypt are tied in allowing the fewest amount of goals at 18, Sweden is third only one goal-per-game back at 19. Sweden conceded 19 goals against both Switzerland and the United States.

SVENSSON is third among the tournament's keepers in save percentage, stifling 34.78 percent of all shots, while OLSSON is not far behind. The oldest handball athlete (man or woman) competing in Atlanta at age 36, OLSSON has turned away 22 shots for a 32.83 efficiency.

However, it is not just in goal where the Swedes excel. They are also tops in steals at 13 and are tied for second in blocks at nine.

Sitting tied with new international power Croatia atop the Group A standings, Sweden and Russia provide possibly the biggest matchup in pool play during the entire tournament. On a crash course, this contest could have medal-round implications, as the three Group A front-runners are fighting for two playoff spots.

This is an official publication of the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games Sports Publications Department. Written by Brad Laux.


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