(31 July 1996; Day 12)
Wednesday's matches concluded round-robin play for the men's handball competition at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta and set the field for Friday's opening medal rounds.
Pool A winner Sweden (5-0) was the only undefeated team in Olympic competition and joined Pool B winner France (4-1) as the two top seeds. The two second-place finishers in each pool, Croatia (A) and Spain (B) also earned medal-round berths, with Sweden facing Spain at 16:15 and France meeting Croatia at 20:45.
The remainder of the teams in the competition will play in the classification contests. Beginning on 2 August at 10:00, Kuwait (0-5) will play Brazil (0-4-1) in the 11th-place match. Following at 11:45, Algeria (0-4-1) and the United States (1-4) will compete for ninth place. At 14:30, Switzerland (2-3) and Germany (3-2) meet in the seventh-place match and rounding out the group, Egypt (3-2) and the Russian Federation (3-2) face for fifth place in a match sandwiched between the two semifinals at 19:00.
There were a few surprises in pool play which affected the medal round competition. Two-time defending Olympic champion Russia was expected to be among those who would challenge for the gold medal. Russia, looking to become the first team to win three consecutive Olympic titles, lost two close, gut-wrenching matches to Sweden and Croatia which eliminated them from the medal chase. Also a surprise is the addition of Spain to the field. After dropping its first match of the tournament, a 2-point loss to France, Spain rallied to win its final four contests and advance to the medal hunt.
The two top seeds were picked by many to finish where they are. France had little trouble running through the field until they lost to Germany in their final pool play match. The reigning world champions won the bronze in Barcelona in 1992 and are led by the presence of centerback Jackson RICHARDSON, who many consider to be the best player in the world. RICHARDSON led the Olympic tournament with a 2.20 steals per match average, a full steal more than the next closest competitor. The high-powered offense of the French team is tops in the field in goals scored and second in shooting efficiency.
Sweden's emotional victory over Russia set the stage for their potential first-ever gold medal. After claiming the silver in Barcelona, Sweden took third in back-to-back world championships and as the team got older, their chances at an Olympic title seemed to get slimmer. Yet experience has prevailed over youth in Atlanta.
The oldest competitor in the Olympic handball competition, goalie Mats OLSSON, may be the best and most feared at his position. In Wednesday's final pool-play match against Croatia, OLSSON collected a tournament-high 24 saves in almost single-handedly carrying the team to victory. OLSSON is second in save efficiency at 36.11.
Although they were finished as runner-up in the latest world championships, Croatia is a newcomer in international play, fielding its first team in Olympic Games history. Led by the offensive efforts of the top goal-scorer in Atlanta, centerback Patrik CAVAR, the Croatian team is as well rounded as anyone in the tournament. CAVAR is averaging eight goals a match, but Croatia relies on more than just his scoring to win. Noted for taking care of the ball, it is one of the top teams in the field in assists and steals, and yet still have the fewest turnovers.
Without a lot of name stars or fanfare, Spain enters the medal round looking for its first-ever Olympic hardware. The Spanish have allowed the second fewest goals in the tournament, but have been the most penalized. One of their top players is leftback Mateo GARRALDA, who has averaged 2.5 blocks a match in Atlanta to bolster a strong defense.
The gold and bronze medal matches are scheduled for 11:00 and 13:00, respectively, on Sunday and will be played at the Georgia Dome, the largest venue to ever host an Olympic handball match. The medal ceremonies will commence after the bronze medal match has concluded.
This is an official publication of the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games Sports Publications Department. Written by Brad Laux.
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| Closing Ceremony of the 1996 Games involved a crew of 2,100 who worked with more than 3,500 performers as well as thousands of athletes who celebrated on the field of Olympic Stadium. |