The 2002 EHF European Women's Handball Championship was held in Denmark from 6–15 December. It was won by Denmark after beating Norway 25–22 in the final match. This tournament was the first to feature 16 teams instead of the 12 that had been the case since the start i 1994.
Venues The European Championships was held in the following cities: Helsinge (Preliminary Group A) Aarhus (Preliminary Group B, Preliminary Group D, Main Group 1, Final Round) Farum Arena (Preliminary Group C, Main Group 2)
Qualification Country Qualified as Previous appearances in tournament Host 4 (1994, 1996, 1998, 2000) Semifinalist of 2000 European Championship 4 (1994, 1996, 1998, 2000) Semifinalist of 2000 European Championship 4 (1994, 1996, 1998, 2000) Semifinalist of 2000 European Championship 4 (1994, 1996, 1998, 2000) Semifinalist of 2000 European Championship 4 (1994, 1996, 1998, 2000) Fifth place of 2000 European Championship 1 (2000) Playoff winner 4 (1994, 1996, 1998, 2000) Playoff winner 1 (2000) Playoff winner 1 (1994) Playoff winner 4 (1994, 1996, 1998, 2000) Playoff winner 1 (1998) Playoff winner 3 (1994, 1996, 1998, 2000) Playoff winner 0 (Debut) Playoff winner 1 (1998) Playoff winner 2 (1994, 1996) Playoff winner 1 (2000)
Note: Bold indicates champion for that year. Italic indicates host for that year.
Competition format Preliminary round: 16 teams are divided into four groups. They play each other in a single round robin system, so each team plays three matches. A win is worth two points, while a draw is worth one point. The top three teams from each group advance to the Main Round. Main Round: 12 teams are divided in two groups. They play against the teams they didn't play in the preliminary round, so each team plays 3 matches. All points from the preliminary round, except the points gained against the 4th place team in the preliminary group, are carried forward into the Main Round. Same round robin rules apply as in the preliminary round. Top 2 teams from each group advance to the semifinals, while the third placed team from each group advances to the 5th-6th Place Play-off, and the fourth placed team to the 7th-8th Place Play-off. Final Round: 8 teams play in the final weekend of the championships. 3rd place teams from the Main Round play in the 5th-6th Place Play-off, and 4th place team to the 7th-8th Place Play-off. Other teams play in the semifinals. Losers of the semifinals advance to the 3rd-4th Place Play-off, and winners advance to the Final.
Squads
Preliminary round
Group A
Group B
Group C
Group D
Main round
Group I
Group II
Final round
Bracket
Semifinals
Seventh place game
Fifth place game
Third place game
Final
Final ranking and statistics
Final ranking 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Source: EHF-Euro.com
2002 Women's European Champions Denmark3rd title
Team roster Lene Rantala, Ditte Andersen, Mette Vestergaard Larsen, Camilla Thomsen, Christina Roslyng Hansen, Heidi Johansen, Rikke Hørlykke Bruun Jørgensen, Winnie Mølgaard, Karin Mortensen, Trine Jensen, Katrine Fruelund, Louise Bager Nørgaard, Kristine Andersen, Karen Brødsgaard, Line Daugaard, Josephine Touray.Head coach: Jan Pytlick.
All-Star Team Goalkeeper: Left wing: Left back: Pivot: Centre back: Right back: Right wing: Most valuable player: Chosen by team officials and EHF experts: EHF
Top goalscorers Rank Name Team Goals Shots % 1 Ágnes Farkas 58 86 67 2 Ausra Fridrikas 54 100 54 3 Irina Poltoratskaya 53 96 55 4 Petra Čumplová 52 70 74 5 Melinda Szabó 44 84 52 6 Kristine Andersen 42 80 537 Bojana Petrović 38 72 53Marina Naukovich 77 499 Lina Olsson Rosenberg 36 64 56Silvana Ilić 65 55Carmen Amariei 76 47
Top goalkeepers (minimum 20% of total shots received by team) RankNameTeam%SavesShots 1 Karin Mortensen 48 117 245 2 Dragica Đurić 45 50 111 3 Heidi Tjugum 44 82 185 4 Lenka Černá 41 83 203 5 Ildiko Barbu 40 43 107 6 Beate Hofmann 38 55 1467 Iryna Honcharova 37 20 54Mariya Sidorova 85 2319 Luminița Dinu 36 57 159Barbara Gorski 48 134
External links European Handball Federation Mette's handball corner (Archived 2009-10-22)