EHL stars shine on Euro indoor stage
Several medalists from the EuroHockey Indoor Championships earlier this month will be looking to win further medals at the EHL at Easter as 2026 kicks into gear.
In the men’s competition, Hamburger Polo Club’s Benny Kölbl (pictured above) took gold with Austria as they edged out Poland in the final following an incredibly competitive tournament in Heidelberg.
For the Poles, Gantoise’s Jacek Kurowski was a star man, winning a pair of player of the match awards and scored the vital goal in delivering a semi-final spot for them ahead of Czechia.
Spain took a memorable bronze, winning the medal with the very last play of their date with Germany, scoring with the final six seconds of their battle. Included in their side were Club de Campo’s Enrique Zorita, Ignacio Abajo, Cesar Curiel, Diego Palomero and Manuel Rodriguez.
On the women’s side last week in Prague, Mannheimer HC trio Charlotte Gerstenhöfer, Linda Bens and Lisa Mayerhöfer all took home gold along with Harvestehuder THC’s Fenja Poppe.
Picture: Charlotte Gerstenhöfer celebrates with teammate Benedetta Wenzel – Will Palmer/World Sport Pics
It was a rollercoaster ride for them as they were almost eliminated in the group stages for the first time before summoning a late comeback against Belgium. They then needed a shoot-out to defeat Spain in the semis before winning well in the final against Czechia.
Gerstenhöfer was vital for goals with seven in the last three games while Poppe played a captain’s role throughout.
From Czechia, Slavia Prague’s Jindřiška Neusser, Natálie Nováková, Adéla Lehovcová, Nikol Babická and Natálie Hájková were all part of their run to a first ever final in this competition.
For bronze medalists, Austria featured Harvestehuder THC’s Daria Buchta and Katharina Bauer.
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