Anja Jul Andersen (born 15 February 1969 in

Odense Odense ( , , ) is the third largest city in Denmark (behind Copenhagen and Aarhus) and the largest city on the island of Funen. As of 1 January 2022, the city proper had a population of 180,863 while Odense Municipality had a population of 20 ...

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

) is a former Danish

team handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball or Olympic handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of throwing it into the g ...

player and current coach. She is an Olympic champion, World champion and two times European champion. In 1997, she was named

IHF World Player of the Year The IHF World Player of the Year is a handball award given annually to the player who is considered to have performed the best in the previous season, both at club and international competitions. It is awarded based on votes from experts, media a ...

. She is widely regarded as one of the best female handball players of all time.

Career

Anja Andersen is known for her skills as an offensive player, as well as her strong temper and courage to make dramatic scenes and daring tricks during a match. She was an important part of the renaissance in

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

handball during the 1990s. Her temper and impressive skills afforded everybody an opinion and after the first gold medal at the European championship in 1994 the national team affectionately earned the nickname "the iron ladies" and status of national sports heroes. Although the national handball team of the 1990s had many profiles it is undisputed that Andersen was the most prolific and controversial. Although nobody questioned her skills, her temper, causing numerous expulsions from high-profile matches, was an issue of some debate. During the

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

the norwigian coach,

Ulrik Wilbek Ulrik Wilbek (born 13 April 1958, in Tunis, Tunisia) is a former Danish team handball coach and current politician, and mayor of Viborg. He is the most successful Danish team handball coach ever, having won 2 European championships with the men a ...

, briefly banned her from the team due to disputes of her playing style and behavior on the floor. She has played 133 matches for the Danish national handball team for women and has scored 725 goals. It was also Andersen who introduced handball to true showmanship. Greatly influenced by basketball and notably the

Harlem Globetrotters The Harlem Globetrotters are an American exhibition basketball team. They combine athleticism, theater, and comedy in their style of play. Created in 1926 by Tommy Brookins in Chicago, Illinois, the team adopted the name ''Harlem'' because of i ...

she invented a playing style aimed at the audience rather than the opposing team. After her retirement as an active player she organized a "dream team" of the best female handball players in 2000 and 2001 which played a selected Danish team. The "dream team" matches were a success but they stopped when Andersen could no longer play actively herself. Because of a heart defect, Andersen stopped her player career in 1999.

Coaching

Andersen immediately started coaching the

Danish Women's Handball League The Danish Women's Handball League ( da, Damehåndboldligaen) is the top professional league for Denmark, Danish women's Team handball, handball clubs. It is administered by the Danish Handball Federation, and the winners are recognized as Danish ...

club

Slagelse Slagelse () is a town on Zealand, Denmark. The town is the seat of Slagelse Municipality, and is the biggest town of the municipality. It is located 15 km east of Korsør, 16 km north-east of Skælskør, 33 km south-east of Kalundborg and 14 km ...

. She first helped the team reach the top league and later win the Champions League three times, in 2003/04, 2004/05 and 2006/07. In 2006, she also coached the national team of

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...

. In 2008, she left Slagelse for

FCK Håndbold F.C. Copenhagen Handball (or simply FCK Handball) was a Danish handball team, playing in Copenhagen. They had both a male and a female team, both playing in the best Danish leagues, the Danish Handball League (men) and Danish Women's Handball L ...

. In 2010, she left FCK Håndbold because the club dissolved and decided to take a break before coaching a new team. In February 2011, Andersen became the new coach of Oltchim Râmnicu Vâlcea. The

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

n club hired her in the attempt of winning the Champions League. In March 2011, after less than two months of coaching, she was fired because of poor results, losing two matches from a total of four on the bench of Oltchim in the main round of the Champions League.

Achievements and recognition

Achievements

During her active career as a handball player she won numerous tournaments: * 1987 World Junior Championship silver medalist * 1992 Norwegian League champion with Bækkelaget * 1993 World Women's Handball Championship silver medalist * 1994 European Women's Handball Championship gold medalist * 1995 World Women's Handball Championship bronze medalist *

gold medalist * 1996 European Women's Handball Championship gold medalist * 1997 World Women's Handball Championship gold medalist * 1997

player (As of 2022 she is the only Danish female player besides Goalkeeper, Sandra Toft, to win this title, and until 1 March 2012, when

Mikkel Hansen Mikkel Hansen (born 22 October 1987) is a Danish handball player for Aalborg Håndbold and the Danish national team. Hansen is regarded as one of the greatest players in handball history, and has been named the IHF World Player of the Year for a ...

won the title, she was the only Danish player, male or female, who had ever won). Her career as a coach has also yielded results: * 2003, 2005 and 2007 winner of the

with

* 2004, 2005, 2007 winner of

EHF Women's Champions League The Women's EHF Champions League is the competition for the top women's handball clubs in Europe, organised annually by the European Handball Federation (EHF). It is the most prestigious tournament for clubs, with the champions of Europe's top na ...

with

Recognition

* 1994: Named the world's second best handball player * 1997: Named the world's best handball player * 2007: Recorded in the Danish Hall of Fame * 2009: Mathilde Prize for challenging the convention of coaches of elite athletes.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Andersen, Anja 1969 births Living people Sportspeople from Odense Danish female handball players Danish handball coaches Olympic handball players of Denmark Handball players at the 1996 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists for Denmark Olympic medalists in handball Danish expatriates in Serbia Danish expatriate sportspeople in Romania Medalists at the 1996 Summer Olympics Handball coaches of international teams Bisexual sportspeople LGBT sportspeople from Norway LGBT handball players