Bronze in the “Champions League of Beachhandball”: Paula Reips throws “Minga Turtles” into the medal

Paula Reips from the HSG Würm-Mitte threw the “Minga Turtles” into a weighty bronze medal in beach handball.

She was the best scorer at the EHF Champions Cup.

Graefelfing - When Paula Reips talks about the past week, you can still tell her enthusiasm.

No wonder, because the 20-year-old handball player from the HSG Würm-Mitte celebrated one of the greatest sporting successes of her career to date on Sunday - and personally played a decisive role in it.

"Minga Turtles" are the first German beach handball team to win a medal

Active not only in the hall but also on the sand, Reips won the bronze medal at the EHF Champions Cup in Sicily with her beach handball team, the reigning German champion "Minga Turtles" from Ismaning.

Never before had a German team won a medal in the competition for the best European club teams introduced seven years ago - a kind of Champions League of beach handball.

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With 133 points, Paula Reips (right) was the best thrower at the EHF Champions Cup.

For this she was honored as well as her teammates by the "Minga Turtles" Lucie-Marie Kretzschmar (best defender, 2nd from left) and Joelle Arno (best goalkeeper, 3rd from left).

© Uros Hocevar / kolektiff

“It was just super cool and really fun,” says Reips.

But not only that, she also rose to be the tournament's top goalscorer with 133 points in eight games.

Together with her teammates Lucie-Marie Kretzschmar (best defender) and Joelle Arno (best goalkeeper), she received not only the bronze medal with the team, but also a personal award as "All-Star".

Paula Reips and Katharina Krecken: Two players from the HSG Würm-Mitte are there

In June the “Minga Turtles” won the German championship and thus qualified for the Champions Cup.

Thanks to a successful crowdfunding campaign, they had sufficient financial means to be one of three German women's teams alongside the “Beach Unicorns” (at the end of the 8th) and the “CAIPIranhas” with HSG team colleague Katharina Krecken (10th) on the trip to tackle the southern Italian island.

While beach handball is currently unthinkable in Germany, the right temperatures were basically given on the beach near the island of "Isola delle femmine".

The German teams and their relatives who had traveled with them supported each other - and after the successful game for third place, the entire “Turtles” team first went to swim in the sea.

Beach handball, EHF Champions Cup: inconsistent weather in Sicily

However, the handball players (the men's Champions Cup was played at the same time) were not exactly lucky with the weather.

“Sometimes it was extremely hot, but in between it was also very cold and poured.

It felt like it changed every 20 minutes, ”reports Reips.

The group matches in particular took place under difficult conditions.

However, the Munich women did not allow themselves to be ripped off by this.

They won four out of five games, including the German duel with the "Unicorns" from Hanover.

"Minga Turtles" secure bronze in an exciting penalty crime thriller

After the sovereign quarter-final victory against the Danish team from Hadsten, they failed in the semifinals at the eventual tournament winner from Portugal, "GRD Leca - Love Tiles".

"That was very bitter because we only lost both sentences by one point," said Reips.

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Strong teamwork at the “Minga Turtles” around Paula Reips (left) from the HSG Würm-Mitte.

© Uros Hocevar / kolektiff

But the tournament ended successfully.

In the game for third place, the German team prevailed in a penalty thriller against "LV Sport Multichem Szentendrei NKE" from Hungary - after the opponent had left the field as the winner in the group phase.

This time all German players met, including Reips as the second shooter.

Even more jubilation at Paula Reips: handball player back in the DHB squad

Defender Kretzschmar slipped into the role of goalkeeper and prevented a Hungarian goal with a spectacular block.

“I was super excited with every throw and just overjoyed after our decisive goal.

It was an incredible feeling, ”says Reips.

And the happy bronze medal winner has even more reason to cheer: after missing the beach handball EM in the summer and winning the German title there, she received an invitation to the next DHB course in November after her successful tournament.

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