Handball World Cup: Decided against a football career – how Juri Knorr became a DHB hope

Handball World Cup

“Que sera, sera” played in the background at the Spodek Arena in Katowice, Poland. Juri Knorr struggled for the right words on Monday after the first defeat at the Handball World Championship.

“It annoyed us all quite a bit. Also how the game went. It’s annoying and I don’t quite agree with a few situations,” said the only 22-year-old top performer on ARD. But then Knorr looked ahead. “I am sure that we will appear again with a different face on Wednesday.”

Then it’s for Germany against France (8.30 p.m., ZDF). In the quarterfinals. It’s the first knockout game. If Knorr and his team win, Germany is in the semifinals. Otherwise it’s over and there could still be fifth place.

Knorr and his teammates don’t want to think about that. The 22-year-old is one of the great hopes for the DHB team. At the World Cup, he is both the best German thrower (29 goals) and the best assist provider (31) – only four players in the entire tournament have even better statistics.

In his early 20s, Knorr is the big performer on the record. Not entirely surprising. As early as 2021, the former DHB trainer Heiner Brand had a lot of confidence in the then 20-year-old Knorr. Before the World Cup, Brand told Watson at the time: “It’s a huge opportunity. I also think that a 20-year-old Juri Knorr will come into play in the backcourt.”

Man marking for Knorr at the World Cup

In the end, Knorr was used in four games, threw five goals himself and prepared two. He’s already far surpassed those stats. In the main round game against the Netherlands, Luc Steins was even seconded to eliminate Knorr as a special guard in man marking – without success.

Knorr receives plenty of praise for his achievements. Also from his comrades in the national team. Circle player Jannik Kohlbacher, who also plays with Knorr for the Rhein-Neckar Löwen, explains: “You could tell from the start that he had really brilliant moments. He has great potential to be a great player.”

But it’s not just in handball that Knorr shows talent. The right-hander also played football successfully for a long time. As a youth he played for Hamburger SV and played with the current pros Josha Vagnoman (VfB Stuttgart) and Jann-Fiete Arp (Kiel).

In an interview with ARD, the backcourt player revealed why he decided to play handball and not football at the age of 15: “I felt more comfortable and familiar with handball. I had the feeling that I was on a school trip with my friends. In football it was more the case that there was more pressure at a young age.”

In retrospect, it turns out that the decision was the right one. Because at the age of 18 he dared to move to Barcelona in the summer of 2018, initially to play in the second team – a few months later, in December, he made his debut in the professional team.

Long-term future at Rhein-Neckar Löwen

A year later, Knorr dared to step into the Bundesliga. Went to Minden, convinced and has therefore been under contract with the Rhein-Neckar Löwen since summer 2021. There he plays with Uwe Gensheimer, among others. Only last December, shortly before the start of the World Cup, did he extend it there until 2026.

His reason: “I’m just happy about the current situation at the lions and I’m looking forward to the next few years here. I believe that we have a strong team with which it is possible to establish ourselves at the top again in the long term.” Knorr and the lions are currently in third place in the Bundesliga behind the foxes from Berlin and THW Kiel. It almost goes without saying that he is also way ahead in the Bundesliga statistics. With 117 hits, he is the third-best thrower, plus 66 assists (fourth place).

Uwe Gensheimer (left) and Juri Knorr play together for the Rhein-Neckar Löwen.Image: imago

In his young career, however, Knorr has also encountered headwinds. When the European Championships took place under strict corona regulations last year, Knorr was unable to travel to Slovakia due to his vaccination status. Ex-DHB trainer Heiner Brand said to watson at the time: “Of course it’s a shame for him and for the team. It would have been a huge opportunity for him to play a major role in a changed team.”

Brand could not understand Knorr’s decision at the time: “I thought a young player would do anything to take a chance like that.” Knorr commented on the public criticism and took a position at the time: “I would like to make it clear: I am not a corona denier. It hit me harder than others my age. That’s why I take this disease seriously. I was also one of the first who got infected in professional handball, which didn’t exactly minimize my fear – especially in relation to possible subsequent complications.”

Knorr was infected with the virus in November 2020, developed severe symptoms and had to pause for several weeks.

This topic no longer played a role at the current World Cup, which is why Knorr showed his skills in Poland and received a whole series of praise. Among other things, by Patrick Groetzki, who plays with Knorr in the DHB team and in the lions.

Groetzki evaluates Knorr’s performance: “He plays very well, with a lot of conviction and a lot of quality. We know what he’s made of. Now he’s at a point where he can do that in every game.” Also against France?

Bob Hanning was Vice President of the DHB from 2013 to 2021.Image: dpa / Andreas Gora

Even if the DHB team were to be eliminated in the quarterfinals, Bob Hanning, former DHB vice president, is optimistic. In his current column in “Sport Bild”, the 54-year-old writes: “We mustn’t forget that top performers like Knorr, Golla or Lukas Mertens are still a long way from the end of their development.”

Especially because a real highlight is coming up very soon for the DHB: the 2024 European Championships in their own country.