PROFILPELAJAR.COM

Cecilie Leganger
Cecilie Leganger
	Leganger playing for FCK Håndbold in 2009
Personal information
Born	12 March 1975 (age 49); Bergen, Norway
Nationality	Norwegian
Height	1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)
Playing position	Goalkeeper
Youth career
	Team
	Løv-Ham
	Fyllingen IL
Senior clubs
Years	Team
1993–1994	Fyllingen IL
1994–1996	Tertnes HE
1997–2001	Bækkelagets SK
2001–2003	Tertnes HE
2003–2004	RK Krim
2004–2008	Slagelse FH
2008–2010	FCK Håndbold
2010–2014	Larvik HK
National team
Years	Team
1993–2004	Norway
Medal record
Representing Norway
Women's Handball
Olympic Games
World Championship
European Championship

Cecilie Leganger (born 12 March 1975) is a Norwegian retired handballer. Regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time, Leganger won the 1998 European Championship and the 1999 World Championship with the Norwegian national team, and received the IHF World Player of the Year award in 2001.^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4]

At club level, Leganger won 27 titles playing for clubs in Norway, Slovenia and Denmark, including three EHF Champions League titles. She made her debut for the Norwegian national team in 1993 at age 17.^[5] Leganger was voted the most valuable player at the 1993 World Championship, and included on the All-Star Team of four World Championships (1993, 1995, 1999, 2001) and two European Championships (1994, 1998). Leganger made 162 appearances and scored one goal for the national team until her retirement from international handball in 2004. She was inducted into the European Handball Hall of Fame in 2023.^[6]

Club career

Leganger began her senior career at Bergen-based club Fyllingen IL in 1993. In 1994, she transferred to city rivals Tertnes HE. Leganger retired from handball in 1996, before making a comeback a year later with Bækkelagets SK.^[7]^[8] She won the EHF Cup Winners' Cup and finished runners-up in the EHF Champions Trophy in 1998 and 1999 with the club. Leganger also won the Norwegian Championship in 1999, and the Norwegian Cup in 1999 and 2001. She returned to Tertnes in 2001.^[9] Leganger transferred to Slovenian club RK Krim in 2003, where she won the Champions Trophy, the Slovenian Championship and the Slovenian Cup in her only season with the team, in addition to finishing runners-up in the EHF Champions League.

In 2004, Leganger moved to Danish club Slagelse FH, winning the Champions League and Danish Championship in 2005 and 2007, becoming the first Norwegian to win the former.^[4] She was voted female Player of the Year in Denmark in 2007.^[10] The following year, Leganger transferred to league rivals FCK Håndbold, where she won the Cup Winners' Cup and Danish Cup in 2009. Leganger returned to Norwegian handball with Larvik HK in 2010, winning the Champions League, the Norwegian Championship and the Norwegian Cup in her first season with the club.^[4] She finished runners-up in the Champions League with the club in 2013, and won six additional league and cup titles before retiring from handball in 2014.^[11]

International career

Leganger made her debut for the Norwegian national team in 1993, at age 17. She appeared at the 1993 World Championship and earned a bronze medal with the national team, in addition to being voted the best goalkeeper and most valuable player of the championship. At the 1994 European Championship, Norway again finished third, while Leganger was included on the All-Star Team as best goalkeeper for a second time. She was voted best goalkeeper for a third consecutive international competition during the 1995 World Championship, where the national team placed fourth. Leganger retired from handball in 1996 and later returned as a club player after a one-year break, but did not play for the national team until 1998.^[12] That same year, she won the 1998 European Championship with the Norwegian team and was voted best goalkeeper at an international competition for a fourth time. Leganger and the national team would go on to win the 1999 World Championship, where she was included on the All-Star Team for a fifth time.

The Norwegian national team earned the bronze medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.^[13] Leganger declined to play for the national team at the 2000 European Championship due to her university studies in medicine.^[14] She returned to the national team for the 2001 World Championship, where Norway finished runners-up as Leganger was voted best goalkeeper of an international competition for a sixth time. She missed the 2002 European Championship, where Norway again finished runners-up, due to injury.^[15] At the 2003 World Championship, Leganger and Norway placed sixth. On 27 March 2004, Leganger played her last match with the Norwegian national team before retiring, having made 162 appearances and scored one goal since her debut in 1993.^[16]

Honours

Club

Bækkelagets SK

RK Krim

Slagelse FH

EHF Champions League: 2005, 2007
Danish Championship: 2005, 2007

FCK Håndbold

EHF Cup Winners' Cup: 2009
Danish Cup: 2009

Larvik HK

EHF Champions League: 2011
Norwegian Championship: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
Norwegian Cup: 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013
Norwegian Playoffs: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

Individual

IHF World Player of the Year: 2001^[17]^[18]
Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the World Championship: 1993
All-Star Goalkeeper of the World Championship: 1993, 1995, 1999, 2001
All-Star Goalkeeper of the European Championship: 1994, 1998
All-Star Goalkeeper of the Norwegian Championship: 1999–2000, 2000–2001, 2001–2002, 2010–2011, 2011–2012
All-Star Goalkeeper of the Danish Championship: 2004–2005, 2005–2006, 2006–2007, 2007–2008, 2008–2009^[19]
Danish Championship Player of the Year: 2007^[10]
Best Norwegian Female Handball Player of All Time: 2008, 2015^[20]^[21]
Best Norwegian National Team Goalkeeper of All Time: 2012
Håndballstatuetten: 2016

References

^ Langeland, Knut (22 September 2014). "Kommentar: Den motvillige stjernen". www.aftenposten.no (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 31 May 2024.
^ Pamer, Anders; Gjesdal, Elisabeth De Lange (22 September 2014). "- Norsk håndball blir fattigere uten henne". www.aftenposten.no (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 31 May 2024.
^ "Hall of Fame: Cecilie Leganger". www.eurohandball.com. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
^ ^a ^b ^c Bugge, Mette (8 December 2017). "Cecilie Leganger ble stjerne over natten. Men oppstyret som fulgte ble for mye". www.aftenposten.no (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 31 May 2024.
^ Reinemo, Martin (3 December 2011). "Da Leganger ble kåret til VMs beste – som 18-åring!". TV 2 (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 31 May 2024.
^ NRK (27 June 2023). "Cecilie Leganger i Hall of Fame". NRK (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 31 May 2024.
^ Overvik, Jostein (22 September 2014). "Tidenes beste norske håndballspiller legger opp: Cecilie Legangers 10 aller beste". VG (in Norwegian). Retrieved 31 May 2024.
^ Sørhus, Martine (30 December 2020). "Hun var i verdenstoppen da hun ga seg som 20-åring: – Jeg var redd for meg selv". NRK (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 31 May 2024.
^ Stegane, Eir (10 October 2001). "Dette er Leganger-saken". www.bt.no (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 31 May 2024.
^ ^a ^b (in Danish) "Leganger og Mogensen er årets håndboldspillere" – Berlingske Tidende (Lørdag den 5. januar 2008) (Retrieved 29 April 2008)
^ Anda, Kjetil R.; Opsahl, Per (22 September 2014). "En legende takker av - Cecilie Leganger legger opp". VG (in Norwegian). Retrieved 31 May 2024.
^ Hole, Arne (22 September 2014). "«Å stå etter Leganger blir som å hoppe etter Wirkola»". www.aftenposten.no (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 31 May 2024.
^ "2000 Summer Olympics – Sydney, Australia – Handball" Archived 7 April 2008 at the Wayback Machine databaseOlympics.com (Retrieved 29 April 2008)
^ "Leganger-nei til EM". www.aftenbladet.no (in Norwegian Bokmål). 7 November 2000. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
^ Byfuglien, Halvor (3 June 2002). "Legangers EM ryker". dagbladet.no (in Norwegian). Retrieved 31 May 2024.
^ NRK (15 March 2006). "Leganger ferdig på landslaget". NRK (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 31 May 2024.
^ Previous World Handball Players Archived 1 January 2008 at the Wayback Machine (Retrieved 11 December 2007)
^ "World Handball Players of the Year" Archived 2 May 2005 at the Wayback Machine – houstonhandball.org (Retrieved 29 April 2008)
^ "Dame Liga All-Stars 1999-2017 by Håndbold Spiller Foreningen - Issuu". issuu.com. 31 May 2017. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
^ NRK (4 December 2008). "Cecilie er tidenes beste". NRK (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 31 May 2024.
^ "Leganger tidenes beste norske spiller". Dagsavisen (in Norwegian). 9 December 2015. Retrieved 31 May 2024.