Kai Häfner (born 10 July 1989) is a German

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 for

TVB Stuttgart TVB 1898 Stuttgart is a handball club from Waiblingen, town of Bittenfeld, Germany. that plays in the Handball-Bundesliga. History TV Bittenfeld played in the 2nd Division German Handball Championship from the 2006/07 season to the 2014/15 se ...

and the

German national team German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

. He participated at the

2019 World Men's Handball Championship The 2019 IHF World Men's Handball Championship was the 26th event hosted by the International Handball Federation and held in Denmark and Germany from 10 to 27 January 2019. It was the first IHF World Men's Handball Championship to include more t ...

Club career

Häfner began his handball career at hometown club TSB Schwäbisch Gmünd, before moving to 2. Bundesliga side TV Bittenfeld in 2006. Having switched to Frisch Auf Göppingen the following year, Häfner would spend four seasons playing for the Swabians, with whom he won the

DHB-Pokal The DHB-Pokal (English: German Handball Federation Cup) is an elimination handball tournament held annually in Germany. It is the second most important handball national title in the country after the Handball-Bundesliga The Handball-Bunde ...

in 2011. The German switched to fellow Bundesliga club

HBW Balingen-Weilstetten HBW Balingen-Weilstetten is a handball club from the city of Balingen, Germany, though they occasionally play in Stuttgart. The team currently plays in the 2. Handball-Bundesliga, Germany's second highest handball division. History The club ...

in 2011. After three years, Häfner was once again on the move, switching to

TSV Hannover-Burgdorf TSV Hannover-Burgdorf is a handball club from Hannover, Germany, and is competing in the Handball-Bundesliga. History The team is known as DIE RECKEN. The origins of the club lie with the sports association Freie Turnerschaft Burgdorf, which ...

ahead of the 2014 season. He went to MT Melsungen in 2019, where he spent four seasons. Having been captain until 2023, Häfner left shortly after his role was allocated to

Timo Kastening Timo Kastening (born 25 June 1995) is a German handball player for MT Melsungen and the German national team. He represented Germany at the 2020 European Men's Handball Championship. and the 2021 World Men's Handball Championship The 2021 IH ...

. In 2023, Häfner returned to the now renamed

International career

Häfner won the silver medal with the German junior national team at the 2008 European Championships. A year later, he won gold at the Junior World Championships. On 15 April 2010, he made his debut for the men's national team in a match against Denmark. At the 2016 European Championships in Poland, he was called up for the last game of the main round (against Russia) after

Steffen Weinhold Steffen Weinhold (born 19 July 1986) is a German handball player for THW Kiel. In 2021 he announced the end of his time in the German national team. Achievements * Summer Olympics: **: 2016 * European Championship: **: 2016 * EHF Champions Lea ...

was injured. The team won the title against Spain, to which Häfner contributed with a total of 15 goals in three games. These included the winning goal in the final seconds of the game in the 34:33 victory over Norway in the semi-final. At the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, he won the bronze medal with the German team. He was awarded the Silver Laurel Leaf by the Federal President on 1 November 2016. He was called up to the 20-man squad for the 2018 European Championships by national coach Christian Prokop and took part in the preparations. He was called up to the final squad on 7 January and took part in the 2018 European Championships. Häfner also took part in the Olympic Games in Tokyo. Having scored eleven goals in the first two games, Häfner was ruled out of the tournament after a positive COVID-19 test.Cumulative Statistics Germany, auf ehfeuro.eurohandball.com
retrieved 29 January 2022. At the 2023 World Cup, he and the team finished fifth, with Häfner scoring 28 goals.

Achievements

Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inau ...

: **:

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

* European Championship: **:

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hafner, Kai 1989 births Living people German male handball players People from Schwäbisch Gmünd Sportspeople from Stuttgart (region) Olympic handball players for Germany Handball players at the 2016 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2016 Summer Olympics Olympic bronze medalists for Germany Olympic medalists in handball Handball-Bundesliga players Frisch Auf Göppingen players MT Melsungen players Handball players at the 2020 Summer Olympics