This is me: Kari Grimsbø

Kari Aalvik Grimsbø has seen it all in handball and has won it all. A three-time EHF Champions League Women winner, a five-time EHF EURO winner, a two-time gold medallist at the Olympic Games and a two-time world champion, Grimsbø has, basically, won handball. In this latest episode of this This is Me series, the Norway goalkeeper talks about her first steps in handball, how she became a player that won the All-star goalkeeper nod in the European premium competition three times, and what motivated her throughout her career.

THIS IS ME: Kari Aalvik Grimsbø

In Norway, when you are little, you are encouraged to have some extra activities. This is how I ended up trying football and handball, practising horse riding and even played the violin. But it always looked like I was going to be a handball player, it was the sport I liked the most, it was where I felt the best. I knew it in my heart and I went on with it.

One thing you might not know is that my older sister was coaching a team here, in Norway, so it all started for fun and the main reason I wanted to come to the training sessions was to spend more time with her. But it was the gravitational pull of handball that really made me try to get better and better. Suddenly, it dawned on me that this might be the path I should take.

I was quite tall from an early age, I was the only one who could reach the bar with my hands, therefore it was quite a natural fit for me to become the goalkeeper. We will talk a bit later about this position, which, you probably know, can become quite difficult from a mental point of view, because you are always alone when the team attacks.

But back to some amazing childhood memories, which really make me sentimental, because it was an excellent time. Sure, I would have never thought I would play for Norway or for other powerhouses at club level at that time, but I really enjoyed what I was doing and, of course, spending some time with my sister.

Norway have a long, long history of producing excellent goalkeepers in women’s handball and, like all young children who are taking up a sport, I also had my idol. It was Cecilie Leganger and I will always remember watching handball on TV and enjoying it a lot.

As a young goalkeeper, I always looked up to Cecilie, because she was super, she was truly amazing. And I remember I was very, very happy, even ecstatic, when my sister got me a greeting card from Cecilie, which I framed and had it in my house. It was a superb feeling that motivated me even more to try and become better and better, to pursue a career in handball.

And yes, I owe a lot to handball, because it is the sport that made me who I am. From the start, I tried to set myself new goals, because this is the only way you can progress. Handball has changed me throughout the years, because I set new goals every time, I tried to become better, to improve in all areas. And when goals were ticked, I set up immediately new ones.

But that adrenaline rush when I ticked the box which I put my head to? Amazing. I felt I needed more and more, both from the national team and at a club level, because I was absorbed by handball and I wanted to become one of the best, not necessarily for myself, but for the teams I played in.

I do not want to sound self-absorbed, because handball is a team sport, but when I was little, I was quite shy, I was always the one in the back row, not trying to take the attention upon myself, rather than let others do their thing. But I always knew that while I did not have a typical personality for this sport, I was always pushing myself and finding a new motivation.

The feeling of achieving personal and team goals, like I said, is amazing, and I think it was the main ingredient that helped me be successful. Whether it was making it to the youth or junior Norway teams, then making it in the big leagues or with the Norway senior national team, it was always something making me better and better.

It is probably a trait of Norway, because we do not get tired of winning. I am looking now at my former teammate, Katrine Lunde, and I am so happy that she is living the dream, still playing, winning trophies and dominating opponents at her age. She is at an amazing level and she still enjoys winning.

This story is about myself, but like I told you, I was a bit shy when I was younger, but I want to share something with you. I might still be on the court if it were not for my knee problems, which prevented me from playing anymore. But I do miss playing handball from time to time. Or, almost every time, to be honest.

How can it be different, when I have so many excellent memories, something that I  will not forget in my whole life? There were amazing moments, both with the clubs I played in and with the national team. There were some tough periods, when I could not even get up from bed, I was shattered to pieces.

Like that loss in the Champions League final against CSM Bucuresti, when we lost on penalties against them in Budapest. For four days, my heart was broken, cut into a million pieces, it was extremely painful to lose this way, especially as we had a lot of fans travelling to Budapest to cheer for us.

But these losses fuel the desire and the motivation to bounce back and to create history. Remember, I told you earlier that I always liked to set up new goals, some very tough to seal, therefore I tried to bounce back and prepared even better for the next seasons.

Sure, these are the tough moments, but there are also happy ones. So many titles with Norway, it is quite difficult to choose some, because if I told you about each and every one, it would be boring at times for most of you, probably.

Yet if I were to choose one, it would probably be the London 2012 Olympic Games. I was just settling in the Norway team, I was becoming a better and better player and more and more important to the team. And we did not enjoy a good start, we were written off.

But the mood in the team was just amazing and we ploughed on and managed to win the title, one of the many I got with an exceptional talented side in Norway, with hungry players, irrespective of how many titles we got in the past.

That feeling of achievement, that feeling of lifting the trophy, of a job well done, is probably an addiction for many, it is a feeling that keeps you on your feet, that makes you go all the way all the time, no matter what challenges are thrown your way. For me, it was becoming better and better.

However, the past is the past. I have stopped playing handball, in part due to my knee issues, in 2020, so three years ago, which is not a lot, but, as I have told you, I am still missing it, still missing the challenge, the adrenaline rush of winning, the excitement I had after making a save.

You have probably heard it a million times in this column from former players that handball is both a passion and they are playing for fun. And that is also true in my case. The caveat is that I could never stay away from handball and I have constantly tried to improve others now.

As my older sister, who led my to this path, either willingly or not, I am now a goalkeeping coach for the Norway national team in the younger age categories and also at Byåsen, in Trondheim, one of my first clubs that I played in. And I enjoy it a lot, I cannot stay away from handball.

The sheer passion is what drives me, especially after I managed a lot in my playing career and helping others with some pieces of advice or some thoughts here or there is fulfilling. Helping others go down the path I had once, or other excellent players in Norway had, is just an amazing feeling.

I also have an excellent family, I enjoy being a mum, therefore I can say I am happy now. Handball has been my passion, my lifeline, the sport which I chose and the right choice for me.

And, like I have told you, we will probably meet again in the future at some point, at some games, or some big competitions. Because I cannot stay away from handball. That’s the truth.

Kari Aalvik Grimsbø
May 2023