Csiki and Lovasz aiming to inspire young beach handball players

2022 was a special year for the Hungary-based team OVB Beach Girls BHC.

"We still don’t understand how we won that last shootout. Even today, it is still a question in our heads, how it happened. But it happened, and it became one of the best feelings in our lives," says 28-year-old Brigitta Lovasz about the moments that entered the club’s history books, when OVB beat HEI Dame Beach Handball in the nail-biting final, winning their only title in this competition.

"It was really great to feel the trophy in our hands and to lift it up, it was one of the best experiences in our lives, and we are here to win it again," says Lovasz.

Since that triumph, the team has undergone multiple changes to their roster, with only two players, Lovasz and Csiki, remaining from the team that secured the milestone win. The two of them now form the backbone of a new team, alongside a few more experienced players and young talents — six players are under 22.

"We are a big mixture of young and more mature players, but we are fighting for each other and complete each other. The older ones have more experience and can pass on this experience and teach the younger ones how to behave in each situation and give advice," says Lovasz, who has been loyal to OVB Beach Girls for 11 years already.

It's around the same time that she got to know Renata Csiki. One of the world’s best specialists, two-time European champion, world silver medallist, and one of the biggest stars of beach handball in the last 15 years, Csiki has plenty of advice to share.

"I would like to show the younger generation what you can achieve with hard work. I also want to show the girls that being here is already a privilege, so if you’re already here, then fight for the best you can achieve. I want to give them motivation to keep loving the sport," explains Csiki, who is in the hunt for her fourth Champions Cup title, having won two with Multichem Szentendrei in 2015 and 2018, following the last title in 2022 with OVB.

The 31-year-old, who is a role model for many young players, doesn’t carry only great memories of winning trophies, but also the responsibility to pass on the flame and love for beach handball.

"Hopefully, beach handball will be an Olympic sport soon, and I’m trying to help the younger generation to feel the same love and enjoyment and to have the same courage and endurance during the games. I want to prepare them for the big matches.

"If beach handball will ever be part of the Olympics, it would be great if we could pick the best players from a larger pool of Hungarian players to represent our country. So, I want to give this knowledge to others because I know I probably will not be there, and I want to represent myself in a way, that I gave my knowledge from the past 15 years to the next generation, and I can also be part of it in that way,” explains Csiki, and adds how she would love to be part of the Hungarian national team again and play at the big tournaments.

“I feel that now I’m more mature on court and I don't get scared in situations, and I’m able to make decisions fast and mostly good. I know that I have something special.”

Both Csiki and Lovasz are fully focused on the present, with all eyes on the upcoming matches from 16 to 19 October, when the EHF Beach Handball Champions Cup 2025 takes place. OVB open the competition in group D, where they will meet Copenhagen Beach, GRD Leça Love Tiles and Beach Unicorns Hannover.

"We will take the games step by step, and we want to improve ourselves match by match, and hopefully at the end we will come out well from this strategy," says Csiki, confident to show everyone how strong their team is, after missing the Champions Cup last year.

“Now we are here and we want to win a medal. We are here to fight and to show everyone that this is our place,” conclude the two beach handball players.

Photos © kolektiff