EHF Excellence Awards

THE TEAMS OF THE SEASON 2023/24

The two Teams of the Season for 2023/24 have players for all positions, but will have their respective MVP and rookie added at the awards gala in Vienna on 14 December.

Men's Team of the Season 2023/24: LW Emil Jakobsen (DEN), LB Elohim Prandi (FRA), CB Felix Claar (SWE), RB Dika Mem (FRA), RW Hans Lindberg (DEN), LP Ludovic Fabregas (FRA), GK Emil Nielsen (DEN); defender Magnus Saugstrup (DEN)

Women’s Team of the Season 2023/24: LW Chloé Valentini (FRA), LB Henny Reistad (NOR), CB Stine Oftedal (NOR), RB Anna Vyakhireva (RUS), RW Viktória Győri-Lukács (HUN), LP Sarah Bouktit (FRA), GK Sandra Toft (DEN); defender Line Haugsted (DEN)

Let's look in more detail at who you have helped choose for the Teams of the Season 2023/24.

Goalkeepers

It's an all-Danish goalkeeping duo as Emil Nielsen takes the men's award and Sandra Toft collects the women's prize.

Left wings

EHF European League Men winner Emil Jakobsen is our second Dane in the men's team, while Chloé Valentini, a key member of France's world championship winning side, is our female left wing.

Left backs

Norway's Henny Reistad had another brilliant goal scoring season with Team Esbjerg in the EHF Champions League Women, and Elohim Prandi won gold with France at EHF EURO 2024. They are the winners for the left back spot.

Centre backs

Stine Oftedal won her third EHF Champions League title in 2023/24, while Felix Claar was instrumental both for SC Magdeburg in the Machineseeker EHF Champions League, but for Sweden at EHF EURO 2024.

Right backs

Frenchman Dika Mem played a vital role in his nation's EHF EURO 2024 triumph, while Anna Vyakhireva's career renaissance continues in great style.

Right wings

On the right wing, Viktória Győri-Lukács picked up her first EHF Champions League winner's medal as Győri Audi ETO KC returned to the top, while Hans Lindberg leaves the German Bundesliga as its record scorer.

Line players

French line players showed us how it was done in 2023/24, as Ludovic Fabregas and Sarah Bouktit took the places on the line for the two teams!

Defenders

Defence wins championships? That was the case for Győri Audi ETO KC as they won the EHF Champions League Women with top defender Line Haugsted. Magnus Saugstrup was a rock in defence as Denmark took silver at EHF EURO 2024.

ALL NOMINEES 2023/24

EUROPEAN OLYMPIC EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2024

The nomination to the MVP shortlist of the EHF Excellence Awards 2024 only took into consideration the players’ performances in the 2023/24 season, the season which was also the basis for the online vote. 

However, with the Paris 2024 Olympic Games being the undisputed sportive highlight of the summer, the EHF as a continental federation decided to establish the ‘European Olympic Excellence Award’ dedicated to one European male and one European female player who displayed outstanding performances at the Games. 

Following the decision, the first set of the new award will be given to Dane Mathias Gidsel and Norwegian Katrine Lunde. 

25-year-old Gidsel won gold with Denmark at Paris 2024. He was named the handball tournament’s MVP and was the event’s top scorer with 62 goals. 

In Paris, 44-year-old Lunde added another trophy to her illustrious career when she won gold with Norway – her third after 2008 and 2012 – and just like Gidsel she was awarded MVP of the Olympic handball tournament. 

Following the awarding by the EHF, Gidsel and Lunde shall both be officially honoured at the EHF Excellence Awards gala event in Vienna on 14 December 2024. 

MORE ABOUT EHF EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2024

HIGHLIGHTS EHF EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2022/23

Take a look back at the best photos and highlights from the 2022/23 awards gala held in Vienna in December 2023.

HALL OF FAME

The EHF Excellence Awards 2023 marked the introduction of the Hall of Fame, the first recognition of its kind to permanently honour the many stars that have shaped the face of handball through the years.

A total of 60 legends, sorted by their playing position, have now been inducted into the Hall of Fame, earning their place in this select group of all-time greats. See the full list HERE. 

Look back at the first year of the Hall of Fame, featuring many of the greatest players in handball history.

MORE ABOUT EHF EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2023