2023 World Women's Handball Championship: What makes Romania’s Cristina Neagu so special?

To this day Cristina Neagu is still the only handball player to be awarded the IHF World Player of the Year four times.

The 35-year-old left back has scored more than a thousand EHF Women's Champions League goals and has been named to countless All-Star teams.

Olympics.com asked the Romanian herself, what has been the key to the incredible success on the handball court.

“I don't know if there is a secret,” Neagu told us at the 2023 World Women's Handball Championship. “Year after year I try to do my best. For me, the most important is that every time I go on the court, I give every single drop of energy.”

“I think the fact that I have been on the highest level for so many years tells how professional I am, despite the injuries I had during the years, which has not been so easy, I always try to take care of my body to recover.”

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“She's never satisfied”

A player who knows Neagu very well is her teammate in the Romania women's national team and in club side CSM București, Crina Pintea. She points out the mentality of Neagu as the reason why she has become the best in the world.

“She's never satisfied, she always wants more and more,” Pintea explained to us. “So, she's always motivated. Even though she suffered a lot of injuries, she has had the power to make it through all of them, and she came back stronger than before.”

The 33-year-old line player is referring to a serious shoulder injury and two knee ligament injuries that Neagu managed to recover from. Her mentality is one thing, but she also has a special gift on the handball court.

“I’ve known her since I was 23 years old. Her biggest quality is how she sees handball, her vision. She sees it differently than many other players. She is very intelligent on the court and also a great human being. I'm grateful that I have had the opportunity to play with her all these years,” Pintea added.

Denmark’s Trine Østergaard, who has faced Neagu numerous times and plays alongside her in CSM București, also praises the Romania star's handball abilities.

“I feel she can predict the game like no other,” Østergaard explained. “Then she has a fantastic shot, which makes her incredibly dangerous. But she also makes her teammates really good, because sometimes it takes two to cover her, and she knows who to pass the ball to.”

The Dane also appreciates Neagu’s human qualities that she has experienced after joining CSM București in the summer.

“Off the handball court, she is really the opposite of what you see on court, where you see a lot of ferocity and fire in her eyes, a character that will win at all costs. Off the field, she is quiet and calm and has a good sense of humour. She is a very warm character, a good leader both on and off the court.”

“A role model for young players”

Living legend Neagu’s significance goes beyond just handball in Romania. In the streets of Bucharest, it is common to see posters of the sporting star, and it is clear that she has a special place in the country.

“In the last 15 years she has been the most important handball player and athlete in Romania,” Florentin-Constantin Pera, coach of the Romania national team said.

“She has a strong mentality and always tries to help the young players in training and outside training. I think she's a role model for our young players.”

Neagu has announced that she will retire from international handball after the Paris 2024 Olympics, but her legacy will live on.

“She’s an inspiration for a lot of kids,” Neagu's teammate Pintea explained. “Sometimes I really wish that people would appreciate her more because not many has achieved what she has, and I don't think anyone will soon. I am a little bit sad, because soon she will end her career, and I think I will miss her a lot.”

Cristina Neagu: It would mean the world to finish my career in Paris

Neagu has won a bronze medal with Romania both at the World Championship and the European Championship.

The 2023 World Championship might be her last competition for Romania if they fail to reach the quarter-finals and seal a spot at the Olympic handball qualification tournament in April.

Her big dream is to go to the Olympic Games one last time with her country.

“It will mean the world for me to finish my international career with the national team in Paris. Going to the Olympic Games for the third time in my career would be amazing. That's why I'm here at the World Championship, doing all the efforts to be back and give a hand to the team,” Neagu concludes.

Neagu and Romania face Germany, Japan, and Poland in the main round of the 2023 World Women's Handball Championship. The competition concludes on 17 December with the final taking place in Herning, Denmark.