Overjoyed, successful coach Bennet Wiegert high-fived his assistant coach, Yves Grafenhorst, and embraced him just moments later following SC Magdeburg’s dominant performance in the Super Cup. The German handball champions, who had recently enjoyed a string of successes, had to wait 25 years to win this trophy again. For Wiegert himself, it was only his fourth attempt as a coach that proved successful—and how: Magdeburg overwhelmed their archrival, Füchse Berlin, 38–31 (20–15).
“I was surprised myself at how happy, how satisfied this made me. I had to calm myself down first,” said the 44-year-old. A success like this boosts self-confidence and shows just how far along the team is already ahead of the Bundesliga season opener, he noted.
Nevertheless, this performance a week before Sunday’s season opener hardly allows for any conclusions. “We’re kicking off in Gummersbach—that’s going to be incredibly tough. Now we have our first title. But nonetheless, Berlin is a top-tier team, and nothing in sports is more fleeting than yesterday’s success,” said Matthias Musche.