| Grzymislaw |  |
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Do you know who is the tallest handballer ever??
It's Valerij Savko from Ukraine. With the height of about 2,24m. And he played on time when handballers with 2,00m were real giants, not 2,08m or above like today!!
He played in 1990s in Bundesliga for Lübbecke after couple of seasons in 2.Bundesliga. His mass was about 150kg or more, so he's probably also the heaviest handballer ever(today is nobody much above 130 kg. Only Kristopans and spanish pivot Baena has occasionally weights of 130kg in statistics). I thought he might be even tallest ever white skin sportsman, but today I know there was some taller basketballers.
Other handball giants:
-Dieter Bartke(about 2,16m)
In 1980s and beginning of 1990s he was a goalkeeper of some strong Bundesliga clubs like Göppingen or Essen. His height is controversial, (2,14m appears also), but surely one of the talles. One of the best german goalkeepers on his time and national player. Died early(at the age of 48) in 2002.
-Mark Dragunski(2,14m)
Line player was european champion and olympic silver medalist with german NT. In Bundesliga he played for Essen, Flensburg or Gummersbach. Retired in 2009, sometimes occasionally helps lower division teams. Replaced the all-time tallest Savko in Lübbecke in 1997.
-Dainis Kristopans(about 2,15m)
Latvian RB playing for Tatran Presov - slovak champions - is sometimes written to be 2,15m tall. When I saw him on TV in the game against Hamburg and compared with Vori, I don't think the difference between them to be 12cm. But maybe? The other possibilty is that he's still growing a bit(at the age of 22). At least he is one of the tallest.
-Volker Zerbe(2,11m)
Legend of Lemgo - his only club he played for his very long career(retired at the age of 38). After retiring he became team manager in Lemgo. European champion and olympic medalist with german national team. He's in top 5 with the highest number of matches for both national team and Bundesliga. Also he got the highest number of penalty minutes in the history of Bundesliga(that record will be propably beaten by Roggisch in couple of seasons).
-Marian Cozma(2,11m)
Romanian pivot who died tragically(killed by group of Romani people) in 2009 played for Veszprem and romanian national team. In contrast to many of other giants of the list he was very well-built(about 120kg).
-Nikolaj Markussen(2,11m)
LB of Atletico Madrid(former BM Ciudad Real) and European Champion in 2012. I read in some article that he's 2,15m tall, but in most of statistics 2,11m.
-Angel Montoro(about 2,11m)
New RB of FC Barcelona after couple of seasons in Ademar Leon. Depends on source he's between 2,10m-2,13m tall. His club's website says 2,11m. I saw him in TV and and I believe. Also maybe still growing(age of 23).
-Marko Kopljar(2,10m)
RB of croat national team and one of the star players of Paris Handball was the tallest player of big tournaments before Markussen's arrival. Perform well especially in defence despite he isn't powerfully built (not only 102kg as before, but 108kg appears for last season).
-Dennis Klockmann(2,10m)
GK for 2011/12 Bundesliga team Eintracht Hildesheim. In the past he was reserve goalkeeper of THW Kiel.
-Finn Lemke(2,10m)
Talented LB who started his Bundesliga career in TBV Lemgo last season. Unfortunately not left-hander as Volker Zerbe is.
-Laszlo Nagy(2,09m)
Hungarian RB is moving to Veszprem after 12 years in Barcelona and very long story of the transfer. He is the first non-Catalan to became the captain of handball team of FC Barcelona. He've won 2 CL titles(1 as team captain) with Barcelona. Despite huge height and mass(116kg) he isn't good only at 9-m throws and defence, but very complete player. One of the best giant players in handball and one of the best RB of today.
-Dmitrij Pavlović(2,09m)
Former LB of THW Kiel and HSG Nordhorn in Bundesliga. Later played in Liga ASOBAL for clubs from the middle and bottom of the table. Last infos I've found are from 2010(now only 31 year-old so he can be still active).
-Yuri Nesterov(about 2,08m)
1988 Olympic Champion with USSR. Powerful line player is one of the oldest players on this list. Height might be lower or higher, there are differences between sources, but surely very tall player.
-Sergey Stepanenko(2,08m)
Chekhovskie Medvedi(Bears) should possibly sign him. With 2,08m and 124kg he fits to the club name better than even Rastvortsev or Chipurin. Currently playing for SKIF Krasnodar - russian team competing sometimes on international level.
-Alexandru Stamate(2,08m)
LB of multiple Romanian champions HCM Constanta and romanian national team is sometimes told to be 2,09m, but more often 2,08m. Good both in offense and defence.
-Serhiy Burka(2,08m)
LB of ukrainian national team who used to play in Champions League. He plays for ukrainian multiple champions - ZTR Zaporozhye.
-Nenad Bilbija(2,08m)
Slovenian LB used to play in Champions League with BM Valladolid. Now he signed for GWD Minden in german 2.Bundesliga where he'll meet famous(but not tall) Swede Dalibor Doder.
-Maciej Stęczniewski(2,08m)
Veteran GK of Azoty Puławy in polish top division. Former national team member, but before Bogdan Wenta's era.
-Henning Siemens(2,08m)
German right back who played for THW Kiel some years ago. Retired very early - at the age of 31.
-Kamil Syprzak(2,08m)
Young pivot who plays for polish champion Wisła Płock. It'll his first season in Champions League. Maybe he'll play more in the club and became national player supporting Bartosz Jurecki soon?
-Heiner Bültmann(2,08m)
Former left back for HSG Nordhorn and Bad Schwartau. Never made it to regular playing in Bundesliga, found thanks to this great site:http://www.handball-statistik.de
-Malte Sernisch(2,08m)
Junior GK of TSV Hannover-Burgdorf. We'll see in the future if he can take an advantage on his great height and become one of top german goalkeepers.
-Andriy Xepkin(2,05m/2,10m)
Born in Ukraine Xepkin was possibly the best handball defender ever. He's the only handballer to win Champions League 7 times(6 with Barcelona, 1 with Kiel as "mercenary" for the last matches). Called "El gigante" in Spain is sometimes(mostly in spanish sources) written to be 2,10m tall. Quite big difference to more popular 2,05m, which I think more realistic.
-Alberto Val(about 2,08m)
I've found his parametres only in spanish sources so I don't know if his height of 2,08m is real. Pivot of CAI BM Aragon(current club of famous Demetrio Lozano). He used to candidate for the award for best ASOBAL defender, but title gone to Dinart as usual.
-Rico Göde(2,07m)
Former line player of Füchse Berlin. Now he plays in 2.Bundesliga for Empor Rostock. On his time in top division one he was often high in penalty minutes and cards rankings.
-Aleksandr Tatarintsev(about 2,07m)
Young(22 year-old) left back for Dinamo-Viktor Stavropol from Russian Superliga. Listed at 2,07m on club website, so far hadn't found other sources. Might be still growing.
-Myhailo Revin(about 2,07m)
Left back for Motor Zaporozhye 2nd team in Ukraine last season. Depending on source is told between 2,05m and 2,07m.
-Mike Bezdicek(2,06m)
Former german national team pivot who played for teams like Lemgo and Kiel in Bundesliga. He is also very high in the penalty minutes ranking for Bundesliga.
-Borja Fernandez(2,06m)
Powerful line player joined HBC Nantes after playing in ASOBAL liga before. Very much fits to Spanish style of line player basing on big mass(is billed at 123 kg), but taller than usual.
-Patrik Hruščák(2,06m)
Right back of Slovak national team(played at Euro 2012) and former Bundesliga player. Height is sometimes shortened to 2,05m, but it's still within limit.
-Evgeni Kalinichenko(about 2,06m)
Playing for Motor Zaporozhye in ukrainian league russian line player is told to be 2,06m by his club website. Before he played in RGUFK Chekhovskie Medvedi(something like the 2nd team of famous Medvedi from Moscow area).
-Anton Ponomarev(about 2,06m)
He's line player for 7th team of Ukrainian Politekhnik Donetsk.
-Lars Møller Madsen(2,05m)
Danish LB currently plays for IFK Kristianstad in swedish league. European champion in 2008. Later he was the transfer bomb in Poland coming to Wisła Płock. After couple of injuries he couldn't came back to form and playing for national team. He won also bronze medal on 2007 WC in Germany.
-Johannes Bitter(2,05m)
His height of 2,05m is quite controversial when his height given by german handball federation for some big tournament was 2,04m. Jogi, as he is called, became the best german and one of the top goalkeepers in all handball world while playing in Hamburg since 2007. Also the tallest of top quality goalkeepers. World champion in 2007.
-Cristian Telehuz(2,05m)
Romanian line player who plays in Rostock in 2.Bundesliga. In the past played for top clubs in his country.
-Lev Tselishchev(about 2,05m)
His height isn't confirmed, but at the age of 22 he might still gain some height. Found as RB playing for Russian Superliga team Sungul Snezhinsk where he's listed at 2,05m. No other source so far.
Do you know other giants in handball? Maybe in your countries are unknown giants, I never heard or read about? If you know some please write here(but only about guys 2,05m tall or taller). |
| Last edited on 2012-09-06 at 18:32 |
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| Gartinh | |
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Nenad Bilbija (2,08m) new LB of GWD Minden (2nd Bundesliga, Germany)
http://www.gwd-minden.de/cms/website.php?id=/de/index/team/bundesliga/n_bilbija.htm
http://www.eurohandball.com/ec/cl/men/2010-11/player/518556/NenadBilbija |
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| Grzymislaw | |
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Grzymislaw wrote:
(...)
-Nenad Bilbija(2,08m)
Slovenian LB used to play in Champions League with BM Valladolid. Now he signed for GWD Minden in german 2.Bundesliga where he'll meet famous(but not tall) Swede Dalibor Doder.
(...)
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He is already on that list. |
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| Gartinh | |
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| Oh sorry mate, didn't noticed. |
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| Gartinh | |
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Former THW-Kiel player
Ljubomir Pavlovic 209 cm (LB)
active GK in german Bundesliga:
Malte Sernisch 208 cm (TSV Hannover Burgdorf)
And also Eric Gull and Johannes Bitter are about 205 cm - I think  . |
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| Gartinh | |
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Oh, just found that his correct name is Semisch not Sernisch as written in this table: http://www.thw-provinzial.de/thw/11gehann.htm (first entry)
Here his profile at the homepage of his club:
http://www.handball-hannover.de/saison/team-20112012/erweiterungskader/malte-semisch.html
And a photo of the hole team. He stands centered in the last row. The guy to his left is 203 cm 
http://www.handball-hannover.de/saison/team-20112012.html
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| Grzymislaw | |
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As Hannover's website says he isn't real first team member. Only 19 year-old has time to improve. This season Sernisch has very small chances to play when Katsigiannis(a lot of seasons top division GK), Pujlezević(former national player for Yugoslavia and later Hungary) and Weiner(WC medalist in 2007 with Poland) are other goalkeepers in TSV Hannover-Burgdorf. But I can add him to the list.
There is about that guy on the left on the photo(Csaba Szucs). He is really 2,03m but some sources(I don't know why) told that he is only 1,91m. And it was german website not spanish where the mistakes are very often. Some of them:famous line player Juancho Perez who was 2,04m and about 120kg was told to be 1,97/94kg, Croat Denis Buntić - RB for Vive Kielce(before this season Ademar Leon) who is 1,98m/103kg was told to be 1,80m/73kg or Jonas Källman(2,00m/about 100kg) is always told on official Liga ASOBAL website to be 1,94m/100kg. |
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| Gartinh | |
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Rico Göde (207 cm), former pivot of Füchse Berlin (2008-2010, 1. Bundesliga, germany)
- http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rico_G%C3%B6de
- http://www.fuechse-berlin.de/2007/o.red.c/spieler-details.php?SpielerID=385 |
| Last edited on 2011-09-02 at 18:01 |
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| Gartinh | |
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THE TALLES EVER!!!
Valerij Savko
from the Ukraine. Played for TUS N-Lübbecke in the 1. German Bundesliga in season 1997/98. 80 times nationalplayer for the USSR, 3 times world champion!
224 cm, 150 kg, shoe size 58 (europe)
some amazing photos:
- http://www.tg-voerde-handball.de/Site/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=218
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