Handball - Christine Lindemann back in goal at 50: "My body hasn't forgotten all of that"

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In 1997 she was in goal at the World Cup, 24 years later Christine Lindemann is back between the posts for the lynx from Buchholz

Photo: Claus Bergmann / imago images

SPIEGEL:

Ms. Lindemann, it is said that the goalkeeper in handball has to have a little tit to stand between the posts.

Do you agree?

Christine Lindemann:

I would speak of individual personalities, to put it nicely.

Of course the keeper is a little weird, he has his own area and is not that involved.

You have to endure a lot in this position, hard throws, sometimes one that flies into the head, but there are positions that I find much worse.

Circulators, for example.

Luckily, you can't get all of the blows and nudges from your opponents that you have to take in goal.

The goalkeeper is actually still the most sensible position in handball.

SPIEGEL:

And now you are back in goal - at the age of 50 you will celebrate your comeback in the handball Bundesliga.

Are you bored?

Lindemann:

No, not at all, we have a few injuries in our team.

Goalkeeper Mareike Vogel has been out with a cruciate ligament rupture since the end of February, and we are in a relegation battle with the Buchholz lynx.

I'm actually a goalkeeping coach on the team.

But in order to take the pressure off the young players and goalkeepers at this stage, we decided to return.

Now the pressure is spread across several shoulders.

SPIEGEL:

You ended your career twelve years ago.

But now you sound like you couldn't unlearn the game of goalkeeping.

Like riding a bike.

Lindemann:

That's how it is.

I feel at home in the goal, I make every move automatically.

Goalkeeping also lives very much from the ability to observe, which I haven't forgotten, because I've gotten a little better with age.

With a height of 1.88 meters I am well built for this task.

But what is problematic are the many rapid alternating movements.

I made a quick movement during training and my knee seemed a bit unstable, so the team doctor didn't give me permission for the game on Saturday.

We have to see how that develops in the next few weeks.

SPIEGEL:

You're as old as you feel.

How old do you feel

Lindemann:

I'm 50 and I feel like 50. I'm really proud of it and just happy that I'm doing so well at my age.

Sport certainly has a lot to do with it.

I like to exercise and pay close attention to my diet.

I'm fine and I hope I can get the knee problem under control and support the team on the field too.

SPIEGEL:

Before your first handball training

session,

your mother said: "Tine, for God's sake, don't go in the goal." You were ten years old at the time.

How did your mother react now that you were going in again?

Lindemann:

It's okay for you.

She saw how much I enjoyed the decision.

And how important it is to me that we don't relegate this year.

She is now 80 years old and still fit, likes to go hiking.

And handball is my passion, my mother knows that, she is behind my decision.

SPIEGEL:

How did it come about that you ended up in goal in handball?

Lindemann

: I used to play soccer with boys a lot, and so I wouldn't annoy them on the field, they put me in goal.

I proved myself there pretty quickly, I'm not afraid of the ball, the guys respected my performances and me.

I ended up playing handball through my brother - and the rest was a coincidence: During my first training session, the goalkeeper had to go to the toilet, no one else wanted to go into the goal, so I did that.

When she came back I was still in the gate.

And after that I didn't leave it either.

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In the Bundesliga, Lindemann was last in action for Buxtehuder SV from 1997 to 1999 and then played in Denmark until 2009

Photo: K + C Foto / imago images

SPIEGEL:

In an article in "Stern" from 2000, it was said that the "six-pack for 29-year-olds is not just plaster and swank, as is the case with the handsome Brad Pitt, but a tool for survival."

What does that mean?

Lindemann:

As a goalkeeper, a good upper body is just as important as nimble fingers.

You get a lot of balls thrown on your upper body, so you need strong protection and well-trained muscles to be able to take it all.

I'm quite a fitness fan and have tried a lot of sports, beach handball, athletics, shot put, tennis.

My body has not forgotten all of this.

SPIEGEL:

You are also part of a team of experts in the German Handball Federation for goalkeepers.

What is the biggest change in this position compared to your first active time?

Lindemann:

In the case of a time penalty, the goalkeeper can now be substituted for a field player in order to create a tie again in the event of an attack.

This rule requires a lot of concentration and coordination, handball is a very dynamic sport and that is why you have to be in your head very quickly to be able to participate in this interplay at all.

But I also have to be quick on my legs - it makes me sprint a lot more between goal and bench.

SPIEGEL:

These tactics can lead to the opponent taking the ball and then hitting the empty goal with a long throw.

Lindemann:

Terrible, I would feel so powerless as a goalkeeper on the bench.

I hope I don't have to experience that very often during my comeback.

For me, however, this rule is also an exciting challenge with all the opportunities and dangers it presents.

That's why I'm not an opponent of her.

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In her career, Lindemann not only won medals in handball, but also as an athlete: In 2005 she became Danish champion in the Alster class W35, including in the shot put

Photo: Claus Bergmann / imago images

SPIEGEL:

You were part of the 1996 national selection at the Summer Olympics in Atlanta.

How was it?

Lindemann:

Very exciting.

The Olympics are a great opportunity to take a look at other nations and athletes.

People from all over the world come together here, many are very open and talk about their training methods and the general conditions that exist in their countries.

At the time, I also observed many coaches and took a look at their leadership style: is he authoritarian, is he comradely, and how does that get on his team?

That was a very enriching time for me, and one that strengthened my personality a lot.

SPIEGEL:

Today, many people associate the Olympic Games with a tournament that is becoming more and more expensive and megalomaniac.

Has the sport lost its ease?

Lindemann:

Yes, and from my point of view it is particularly overshadowed by Corona.

Health questions arise, the question of whether an event can be held or not.

Usually, sport offers a structure to orientate oneself and an environment that can be very enriching.

I wish all athletes that they too can have these experiences, that they, like me, will have the chance to experience events that will help them advance personally.

SPIEGEL:

Ms. Lindemann, you have 147 international matches, three are still missing until the anniversary.

LIndemann:

I know what you want to ask: no.

SPIEGEL:

Should the national coach have an emergency, would you come back?

Lindemann:

He's welcome to ask for my advice, but I really don't have to crack this international match mark any more.

I was active in beach handball and also played international matches there, in fact I've played well over 150 international matches for a long time.

Now I want to make my comeback in the Bundesliga first.

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