[15.05.06 11:30 CET]
World Handball Players of the Year 2005: Anita Görbicz and Arpad Sterbik

The readers of the World Handball Magazine and the IHF Web Site visitors had cast their vote and decided: Anita Görbicz and Arpad Sterbik were elected 2005 World Handball Players. The graceful Hungarian succeeds her fellow countrywoman Anita Kulcsar, who had died much too early, while the Serbian goalkeeper following the footsteps of German Henning Fritz, who had been the first keeper in history to be decorated with greatest glory last year.

Anita Görbicz obtained 42.75% of votes to edge her fellow competitors in the women’s category prevailing against six other world-class players such as Romania’s Dinu and Lisei, Holland’s van Wissel, Russian Bodnieva, German Jurack and Korean Woo.

The result in the men’s category revealed a margin much narrower. In the very end World Handball Player Sterbik (22.50%) only had a minimum lead over high-esteemed Balic and Dzomba from Croatia, Russian Kokcharov, Tunisia’s Hmam and Juricek from the Czech Republic.

Similar to previous years, the International Handball Federation and partner adidas counted ten thousands of entries again – evidence of the contest’s great popularity, which has been announced since 1988. An even larger number of Internet users voted online this time.

The interested reader may find below a portrait of the newly elected World Handball Players, the detailed result and all previous World Handball Players. The winners of the World Handball Player contest will be published on the IHF Web Site at a later date.

Anita Görbicz - A graceful appearance If there are words intrinsically tied to persons, the term to be named in the same breath with Anita Görbicz has to be ‘graceful’. The 23-year-old Hungarian fills the great handball arenas of the world with elegance although she looks that inconspicuous. She is 1.75m tall but only weighs 58kg. Therefore she has created a special style. In 2004 the WHM already stated: ‘Whenever Görbicz plays, robust attacks turn into little work of art. Her relatively long arms and big hands give her an ideal lift, thus compensating for any lack in strength – and her moves are as unpredictable as a summer storm. One minute she is playing spectacular diagonal passes, then she performs marvellous feeds to her pivot, and the next moment she is throwing herself from the back-court.’

Following pivot Erszebet Kocsis (1995), predominant lefthander Bojana Radulovics (2000 and 2003) and Anita Kulcsar (2004) Görbicz has become the fourth Hungarian, who is allowed to name herself World Handball Player. The fact that she won the award is rather logical, since Görbicz has been a pillar of Hungary’s women team for years despite her young age. At the 2003 and 2005 World Championships the graceful Hungarian she was elected best centre player to join the All-Star Team. With the Hungarian side she made through to the 2003 WC final and forced France into overtime before giving in, two years later Görbics helped Hungary to win the bronze medal in St Petersburg. In 2004, she gained ECh bronze on home soil after fifth place in the Athens Olympic Games. She had her first international appearance in 2001 when the Hungarian women’s junior team were beaten only by the Russians in the final. She stood out in Peter Kovacs’ selection team as a creative person, although she was still two years younger than the vast majority of her competitors. ‘We saw from an early stage that Anita was capable of being a very good professional’, coach Kálmán Róth, who discovered the young Görbicz in a preliminary school in Györ. ‘Whenever she is on the court, age is no longer an issue. Anita is someone who always pushes ahead.’ Time might be short for Györ to benefit from her drive. In all probabilities her contract with multiple Hungarian champions Györi ETO Kezilabda Club will mature this summer – Clubs from the Danish league in the first instance, such as Aalborg DH, have long been expressing their interest.

Arpad Sterbik - A royal appearance La ciudad real tiene a un nuevo rey, the royal city has got a new king – It is difficult to stand out from the world selection of BM Ciudad Real (Spanish: royal city). After all this exclusive team of Spain’s first division is named the ‘Real Madrid of handball’. Olympic champions, world champions and European champs are throwing and catching here. One man, however, manages to stand out from the world’s currently best handball side. Arpad Sterbik, the goalkeeper of the ‘royals’. The Serb-born guy is in the shape of his life. Following a serious knee injury the 2-metre hulk of a man made a great comeback joining the ranks of the All-Star Team in last year’s World Championship in Tunisia, being elected best goalkeeper to be definitely crowned now.

‘It is amazing, I’m over the moon. It was the last thing I would have expected’, Sterbik said. The 26-year-old succeeds Germany’s outstanding keeper Henning Fritz in the long tradition of this famous international award. ‘There are that many excellent court players, much more than good keepers’, Sterbik stated, ‘therefore it is even more difficult for us to win the award. I am very, very proud.’ Arpad Sterbik is celebrating a Spanish festival, as a few days after he had been told about his high distinction in his adopted home town situated 150km to the south of Madrid, the 119kg hunk won the Champions League title with his club. The victory over Portland San Antonio in Europe’s most prestigious league was the ice cream on the cake of the ‘Serbian bear’s’ fabulous season. It crowned his career to make him the new king of international handball. For two years Sterbik has been earning money with Ciudad Real from billionaire Domingo Diaz de Mera. He is employed to a man, whose great financial commitment in the first place allowed BM Ciudad Real to soar up to become a super handball power. ‘I have found a real new home at Ciudad Real’, Sterbik revealed, ‘I am really fine here.’ The contract signed between the new World Handball Player and the Spanish top club will mature in 2007 and is very likely to be continued. Who dares let go a king at the height of his reign...

 

	Anita Goerbicz (HUN)		42.75%
		Luminita Dinu (ROM)		21.01%
		Valentina Neli Ardean Nilsei (ROM)		17.44%
		Pearl van der Wissel (NED)		5.21%
		Liudmila Bodnieva (RUS)		4.89%
		Grit Jurack (GER)		3.80%
		other		2.61%
		Sun-Hee Woo (KOR)		2.29%
		Arpad Sterbik (SCG)		22.50%
		Ivano Balic (CRO)		21.14%
		Mirza Dzomba (CRO)		17.20%
		Mateo Garalda (ESP)		13.47%
		Wissem Hmam (TUN)		8.46%
		Eduard Kokcharov (RUS)		7.57%
		other		5.74%
		David Juricek (CZE)		3.93%

Bravo Vojvodo

Prestrasno nesto, srpska internet dijaspora odnijela pobjedu

Svaka cast Sterbiku, ali pored zivog Balica, MVP svakog bozijeg prvenstva u zadnje tri godine...

Cirkus

 balić-car, šterbik-car; al balić je puuuuuuuuuuuuno bolji, jer je u polju , može učinit više od vojvode..

 Vala, mogao bih dobiti one patike..

 pa sad kad si sj**o ruke i noge, bar ćeš bit fenci u gradu di živiš(šabac, ne?)

Ovo je realno kao i pobjeda vatrenih nad Brazilom u nogometu, mislim na ono cuveno internet glasovanje

Ili jos bolje, Janica 81%, Ronaldinjo 17% mislim, svaka cast Janici, ali bem mu sve skijanje ne prati ni 10% stanovnika planete dok je za Ronaldinja cuo i najzabaceniji kineski seljak.