BIOGRAPHY
There are many ways to describe Anja Althaus - bold, ambitious, talented, hard-working - but she definitely stands out for her dedication to handball, both on and off the court. Born into a handball family and raised in Magdeburg, a city that lives and breathes handball, Althaus earned her place in the Hall of Fame after an extraordinary career at an European and international level.
Naturally, Althaus started her youth career in her hometown, at SC Magdeburg, a team that managed to become German youth and junior champion. Despite having great ambitions for the national team at a young age, the German line player was not part of the squad that participated at the W17 EHF EURO, after she suffered a serious injury six months prior. This setback, however, was just a small bump in her handball journey, which took off at 17 when she started her senior career.
After an intense learning experience at Trier, she joined the Danish powerhouse Viborg HK, where she won her first two EHF Champions League titles in 2009 and 2010. She would have to wait another eight years until her next and last trophy. In 2017, approaching the end of her career, Althaus received an offer to join Györ, which she accepted wholeheartedly. This stint in Hungary helped Althaus finish her career on a high: as Hungarian champion and EHF Champions League winner.
Her only medal with the German national team came in 2007, when she won bronze at the World Championship in France. She also participated at the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008, but Germany’s journey ended early in the preliminary round after three narrow losses.
Anja Althaus is also known off the court for her unique hairstyles, as well as for her continuous dedication to the sport. After her player activity, she took the challenge of being an assistant coach for various teams, in addition to taking part in some of EHF’s projects, including Respect Your Talent.
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