Thierry Omeyer

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Thierry Omeyer
Thierry Omeyer.jpg
In 2006
Personal information
Born (1976-11-02) 2 November 1976 (age 48)
Mulhouse, France
Nationality French
Height 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in)
Playing position Goalkeeper
Youth career
YearsTeam
1985–1994
 Cernay
Senior clubs
YearsTeam
1994–2000
 Sélestat HB
2000–2006
 Montpellier Handball
2006–2013
 THW Kiel
2013–2014
 Montpellier Handball
2014–2019
 PSG Handball
National team
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
1999–2017
 France 356 (4)
Medal record
Men's handball
Representing Flag of France.svg  France
Olympic Games
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2008 Beijing Team
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2012 London Team
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2016 Rio de Janeiro Team
World Championship
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2001 France
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2009 Croatia
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2011 Sweden
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2015 Qatar
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2017 France
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2003 Portugal
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2005 Tunisia
European Championship
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2006 Switzerland
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2010 Austria
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2014 Denmark
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2008 Norway
Mediterranean Games
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2001 Tunis Team

Thierry Omeyer (born 2 November 1976) is a retired French handball goalkeeper.

Contents

A member of the French national team since 1999, he has won all major titles with the team: world champion (five times), European champion (three times) and Olympic champion twice. [1]

He is widely considered to be one of the best handball goalkeepers of all time, and was the third goalkeeper so far to have been elected best player of the world by the International Handball Federation (the two others being Henning Fritz, in 2004, and Árpád Sterbik, in 2005, since Niklas Landin in 2021), what he achieved in 2008. In his former club (THW Kiel), his nickname was Die Mauer (The Wall).

He was included in the European Handball Federation Hall of Fame in 2023. [2]

Club career

Omeyer started handball at the age of 9 in Cernay (Alsace). In 1994, he joined his first professional club, Sélestat. His save percentage being up to 50%, he caught the attention of the best club in the French championship, Montpellier. Quickly becoming the first choice goalkeeper, he won five championships (from 2002 to 2006) and five national cups (2001, 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2006). The biggest highlight of his time there is the win of the 2003 EHF Champions League, a title that had never been won by a French club before.

In 2006, he decided to leave for a more competitive championship and joined the German club THW Kiel, with whom he won the double, the championship and the national cup in 2007 and 2008, plus the Champions League in 2007, 2010 and 2012.

On 15 April 2014, Paris Saint-Germain announced that both Thierry Omeyer and William Accambray were leaving Montpellier in order to join their club next season. [3]

Omeyer played his last professional match on 6 June 2019 against Cesson-Rennes, PSG, who had already secured the title, defeated Cesson-Rennes 29-20, which ensured the latter's relegation. [4] [5]

International career

He made his debut for the French national team on September 19, 1999 against Romania. [6] In 2001, he became World champion after beating Sweden 28-25 (after two extra-times) in the final.

In 2008, he became Olympic champion after an excellent tournament where he was voted best goalkeeper with a rate of 41% shots saved all over the competition. In the final, he saved 19 shots out of 39 to ensure France' 28-23 win over Iceland.

In 2015, he became World champion after beating Qatar 25-22. He was voted best goalkeeper and the MVP of the tournament.

Individual awards

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References

  1. ↑ "2015 World Championship Roster" (PDF). IHF . Retrieved 15 January 2015.
  2. 1 2 "LEGENDARY PLAYERS ENTER THE HALL OF FAME OF EUROPEAN HANDBALL". www.eurohandball.com. European Handball Federation. 26 June 2023. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
  3. ↑ "Omeyer et Accambray au PSG - Hand - D1 (H)". L'Équipe (in French). Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  4. ↑ "Thierry Omeyer après le dernier match de sa carrière : " C'était magique "". L'Équipe (in French). Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  5. ↑ "Cesson-Rennes relégué, Thierry Omeyer honoré". L'Équipe (in French). Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  6. ↑ ff-handball.org: France national team Archived 2008-06-03 at the Wayback Machine
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