Sanela Knezović (born 22 December 1979)
is a Herzegovinian-born
Croatian handballer
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 ...
.
Club career
Knezović started to play handball in 1990 in Mostar. Her first coach was Nikola Stipić. Unfortunately Knezović was forced to take a one-year pause because of
Bosnian War
The Bosnian War ( sh, Rat u Bosni i Hercegovini / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. The war is commonly seen as having started ...
. After the war she continued to play handball and in 1994 joined Zrinjski Mostar. In 1996 she received the Best Athlete of
Bosnia and Herzegovina award. Same year Knezović signed with European Champions
Podravka Vegeta
Podravka d.d. is a Croatian food company based in Koprivnica. Founded in 1934, today it is one of the largest food companies in Southeast Europe.
History
1934–1990
The brothers Marijan and Matija Wolf founded the company on 14 June 1934. A ...
. In eight years of playing for best Croatian team, Knezović won many Croatian Championship and Croatian Cup trophies. In 2002, she played in
EHF Cup finals. Two years after that she joined Montenegrin Champions
Budućnost and in 2006 won
Cup Winners' Cup trophy. In 2007, she went to
Hungarian handball club
Dunaferr, but because of the club's financial problems she returned to Budućnost. In 2010 Knezović again won
Cup Winners' Cup trophy and in 2011 played in
Champions League semi-finals. In the 2011/2012 season Sanela Knezović played for Romanian champions
CS Oltchim Râmnicu Vâlcea
CS, C-S, C.S., Cs, cs, or cs. may refer to:
Job titles
* Chief Secretary (Hong Kong)
* Chief superintendent, a rank in the British and several other police forces
* Company secretary, a senior position in a private sector company or public s ...
. After one season in Dunaferr, Sanela moved to HC Astrakhanochka on three years contract. She retired from handball in 2015. After retirement, she completed her studies and graduated from Faculty of Kinesiology. She has been in private business ever since.
Achievements
*
EHF Champions League:
**''Semifinalist'': 2012
*
Cup Winners' Cup:
**''Winner'': 2006, 2010
*Women's Regional Handball League:
**''Winner'': 2010, 2011
**''Silver Medallist'': 2009
*
Romanian Championship:
**''Winner'': 2012
*
Hungarian Championship:
**''Silver Medallist'': 2008
*Croatian Championship:
**''Winner'': 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003
*Montenegrin Championship:
**''Winner'': 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011
*Romanian Supercup:
**''Winner'': 2011
*
Hungarian Cup:
**''Silver Medallist'': 2008
*Croatian Cup:
**''Winner'': 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004
*Montenegrin Cup:
**''Winner'': 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011
Individual accomplishments
*
Best Athlete of Bosnia and Herzegovina: 1996
* Captain of
Croatian national team: 2004
References
External links
Official site of Sanela KnezovićProfile at eurohandball.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Knezovic, Sanela
Sportspeople from Mostar
1979 births
Living people
Croatian female handball players
Expatriate handball players
Croatian expatriate sportspeople in Romania
Bosnia and Herzegovina expatriate sportspeople in Romania
Croatian expatriate sportspeople in Hungary
Croatian expatriate sportspeople in Montenegro
RK Podravka Koprivnica players
Bosnia and Herzegovina expatriate sportspeople in Hungary
Bosnia and Herzegovina expatriate sportspeople in Montenegro
Bosnia and Herzegovina expatriate sportspeople in Russia
Croatian expatriate sportspeople in Russia