Christian Schwarzer

Centre Christian Schwarzer played for the German handball team at four consecutive Olympic Games from Atlanta 1996 to Beijing 2008, winning the silver medal in 2004 at Athens. He was also world champion in 2007 and runner-up in 2003. At the Europeans he won a medal of each colour - gold in 2004, silver in 2002, and bronze in 1998. In total, he won 319 international caps and scored 966 goals.

At club level, Schwarzer played with VfL Fredenbeck (1987-91), TV Niederwürzbach (1991-99), Spanish side FC Barcelona (1999-2001), TBV Lemgo (2001-07), and Rhein-Neckar Löwen (2007-09). With Lemgo he won the German national title in 2003, the German Cup in 2002, and EHF Cup in 2006. With Barcelona he won the Spanish League, Spanish Cup, and European Champions League in 2000.

Schwarzer was 2001 German Handball Player of the Year. In 2011, he became national chief youth coach in Germany, and in 2015 he joined the Handball Association of Saarland to become youth co-ordinator and coach. Schwarzer was awarded the Silver Bay Leaf, Germany’s highest sports award.