France knocked off hosts Croatia 24-19 in the final of the 2009 World Championship to solidify their spot atop the handball world. France collected their third world title following crowns from 1995 and 2001. But most impressively, Les Bleus captured their second major title within five months. Head coach Claude Onesta's troops knocked off Iceland 28-23 in the 2008 Olympic final for France's first ever handball Olympic gold medal.
Omeyer, Karabatic And Guigou Make 2009 All-Star Team
The 2009 French team was led by goalkeeper Thierry Omeyer, center back Nikola Karabatic and left wing Michael Guigou as all three were named to the All-Star Team in Croatia. Karabatic, the 2007 World Handball Player of the Year from German record champions THW Kiel, was especially impressive with 4.5 goals scored a game.
1992 Bronze Began Illustrious Jackson Richardson Career
France have been among the top of the handball world elite since the beginning of the 1990s. The French beat Iceland at the 1992 Olympics to collect a bronze medal - their first medal at a major event. That was also the beginning of the star career of Jackson Richardson. The 1995 World Handball Player of the Year led France to their two other World titles in 1995 and 2001 as well as four other World Championship medals. Richardson played 417 games for France and scored 775 goals, receiving the honor as France's Player of the Century. Richardson, who retired from international play after the 2005 gold, left the game in 2008, playing for clubs in France, Germany and Spain.
Plenty Of Hardware Since 1992
Since the 1992 Olympics, France regularly played for handball medals. Besides the 1995 and 2001 World Championship crowns, Les Bleus also claimed World silver in 1993 and won bronze in 1997, 2003 and 2005. They also captured gold at the 2006 European Championship.
2008 European Bronze
France took fourth place at the 2007 World Championship in neighboring Germany. And they came into the 2008 European Championship on a mission to defend the title. France were undefeated going into the semi-finals but lost against Croatia before finishing with the bronze medal.
Revenge Against Croatia In Beijing
France got their revenge against Croatia at the 2008 Olympics, knocking off the Balkan nation 25-23 in the semi-finals with Cedric Burdet and Daniel Narcisse each scoring six goals. Then Karabatic hit for eight goals in the gold medal victory over underdogs Iceland. The gold medal allowed France to become just the third nation after Germany and Russia to win the World Championship, the European Championship and the Olympic Games.
Croatia Beat France In 2009 Worlds - But In Second Round
Both France and Croatia had already advanced to the semi-finals of the 2009 World Championship before Croatia beat France 22-19 in the final second group match. And the teams faced off in the final after France beat Denmark 27-22 and Croatia knocked off Poland 29-23. But France once again got the better of Croatia when it mattered most, winning the World Championship final 24-19 with Michael Guigou scoring 10 goals.
