2023 World Women's Handball Championship: Denmark's Helena Elver feeling stronger than ever after more than two years of injury hell

732 days.

That's how long Denmark’s Helena Elver had to patiently wait to play her first handball match having been through more than two years of injury setbacks.

The 25-year-old made an emotional comeback to the handball court last year for Odense Håndbold following her third ACL injury, widely considered one of the worst and most frustrating injuries for any athlete.

Now, the playmaker features in the Danish squad at the 2023 World Women's Handball Championship, where she has played in her team’s first two matches against Serbia and Chile.

“I'm really proud to be part of this group and get the opportunity to play the World Championship on home soil,” Elver told Olympics.com.

“When I got to know that I was selected for the national team, I was really grateful. It just feels like a victory to have come back to the national team after some very turbulent years, and I really appreciate that.”

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"It was a really tough battle"

In 2020, Helena Elver was just about to accomplish her dream of representing Denmark at the European Championship in her home country.

During the pre-tournament penultimate friendly against Norway, Elver was warming up with her teammates as usual when a jump shot took an unfortunate turn.

A misjudged landing not only prevented her from participating in the 2020 European Championship but also led to a prolonged struggle to make a comeback.

“It was just a wild and hard fight to fight. It was very turbulent, because you were constantly struck with joy of progressing but also a whole lot of setbacks and a whole lot of bad feelings and thoughts, because I couldn't be on the field,” Elver explained.

Ten months after the first surgery, the handball prodigy returned to training. Just as Elver was close to make her comeback, she experienced another ACL tear that put her handball career in jeopardy.

“Knowing what I had to go through again, especially when it happened for the third time in my career, I wasn't sure I was mentally ready to fight that battle. And I told my club and coach that. I had to take one day at a time and not necessarily knowing if I would actually come back. It was a really tough battle that I'm glad I'm not fighting anymore.”

Helena Elver: “I have learned an awful lot about myself”

Fortunately, every cloud has a silver lining. Looking back on the two years of injury, it has been an educational period in Elver’s life.

“I have learned an awful lot about myself. I've learned, who I want to be as a person off the pitch, because it kind of became an identity crisis. Suddenly I had to figure out at the age of 25, who am I really. And what exactly do I want with my life, but also how I want to treat other people," Elver said.

“The biggest thing that I learned is probably that you can do more than you think. I thought that I might not going to play much handball after the injury, but all of a sudden I'm standing there again. I have a love for handball that I wasn't ready to let go of.”

Helena Elver: “I really care about being a good role model”

With help from family, friends, club and national team, Elver finally made her comeback last year.

The playmaker hopes that her story can inspire others.

“I really care about being a good role model. The battle to return has been really hard, but it has also been worth it. There will be ups and downs, and I really try to say that to anyone, who wants to listen,” the Danish handballer said.

For now, Elver is just enjoying being back and able to play the sport that she loves.

“I'm really grateful that my body can still play handball, and that I didn't stop when I didn't think it was fun. I get the experience of playing a World Championship on home soil. The last year I have played in Odense has been so wonderful. So, I think you can probably say that I am one of the most grateful handball players running around at the moment,” Elver concludes.

The 2023 World Women's Handball Championship is taking place in Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Herning (Denmark) will host the final on 17 December.