The 1998-born generation of Iceland players are contesting their first major international tournament at the 2018 IHF Women’s Junior (U20) World Championship – and were quick to make their mark despite their limited experience at such events.

Coming up against the squad that took the bronze medal home from the 2016 IHF Women’s Youth World Championship, Republic of Korea, in Round 1 at Hungary 2018, Iceland initially seemed to be out of their depth. At the end of the first quarter, the score board showed an ominous 10:3 lead for Korea, and that seven-goal distance remained until as late as the 22nd minute.

But Iceland then pulled off an incredible comeback, reducing the gap to four by half-time (12:16), equalising with 15 minutes remaining, and finishing with a 29:29 draw. The result meant that the teams took one point each and ranked third and fourth in Group B after Round 1.

“We are happy to get one point but we wanted to win the game, because we could have,” said Iceland’s top scorer in the match, Lovisa Thompson, who counted seven goals out of eight shots.

“We have been preparing for this for some time. We had looked at their game and we knew that they would be fast,” continued Thompson, discussing the slow start and great recovery from her side. “When the game went along, we got better and we had each other’s back every time.”

“Every handball players’ dream”

The successful qualification for Hungary 2018 represents an important step forward for Iceland. The Nordic team have only made it to the Junior World Championship twice before, ranking 18th in 1999 and 13th in 2008. On a continental level, they have qualified for the Women’s 19 EHF EURO just once before, placing 15th in 2004.

“It’s just every handball players’ dream. We’ve been aiming for this for a long time, and we’re very excited and happy to be here,” said Thompson. “We were in Iceland when we got our place here and it was very fun to celebrate it with our people.”

Despite their limited experience at major international events, Thompson does not hesitate in saying that her team are aiming high at Hungary 2018. Their goal, she says, is “not to be participants, but to do something special here, making people remember Icelandic handball.”

Looking at the senior Iceland teams, the men’s side have experienced their share of success, with a bronze medal at the EHF EURO 2010 and a silver at the 2008 Olympic Games the highlights of their record. They consistently qualify for major international tournaments, but the women’s side do not count the same calibre of history.

The Iceland women’s team’s best international result is from their single World Championship participation – 12th in 2011. They have qualified for the European championship twice, in 2010 and 2012, placing 15th on both occasions.

Simply being here is a significant moment for Icelandic women’s handball, but the Junior squad are ready to make the world sit up and take notice of their small nation – and it will not end at Hungary 2018.

“The future is very bright,” says Thompson. “We believe that we can make something special, and this is just our first step.”