Turns out handball is an amazing game where lightning speed meets lumberjack strength meets ballerina agility! Also - because of inexplicable lack of interest - you can watch action-packed games for little money, often from the first row.
As a starter, even though Hungary defeated Spain for 5th...
...fantastic Spanish fans cheered their team on till the very end!
Then, Croatia faced Germany in an Olympic Final nail-biter! I haven't decided in advance which team I was planning to support, but then the most remarkable thing happened. As usual, wanted some pictures together with the most colourful fans, so I stopped this Croatian family asking them to pose together. Not surprisingly, they agreed, so here I am with the two kids in a photo taken by their dad:
But the memorable moment came just after. After I wished them luck and we walked away in opposite directions looking for our designated seats, suddenly that same girl chases me down, smiles, and hands me a Croatia-themed baseball cap! From that moment on there was little doubt who I was going to support. A decade later, I still have the hat, while Croatia and Croatian occupy a special place in my heart!
The game itself was a real thriller: the Croatians, led by sharpshooter Mirza Džomba and superstar Ivano Balić, came back from trailing at half-time to defeat Germany 26:24 and claim their second set of Olympic gold medals after Atlanta '96. Obviously my support proved crucial ;-)
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