Nina Koppang: "It was very fun that so many Partille World Cup people came"

The Netherlands defeated Sweden with 30-29 in Sweden's last official international match before the Olympics.

Nina Koppang, who after a great season in IK Sävehof is ready to play for the big Norwegian club Vipers Kristiansand, enjoyed playing in front of her home crowd in Gothenburg.
– It was very fun that so many Partille World Cup people came, says Nina Koppang about the 4 161 spectators in Scandinavium.

Sweden played a great first half and led by 17 goals to 15 at the break. Nina Koppang played well as usual and scored two of the goals. In the second half, the Netherlands managed to turn the game around and win the Olympic warmup game with 30-29.
– It was an intense match with a lot of running. It was a fun match that swung a lot. They stood up very well, says Nina Koppang.
She's glad about her own performance.
– It was good. It felt perfectly fine. You feel a little rusty in the first match after the season, but it felt good, says the 22-year-old.
She has absolutely nothing against playing handball in Gothenburg.
– It was great fun playing at home. I love playing in Gothenburg and in Scandinavium.

Nina thought it was extra fun that they were cheered on by thousands of Partille World Cup participants.
– I came to Gothenburg as a 16-year-old and have played Partille World Cup once with IK Sävehof. It was very funny. The funnest thing is that there are so many teams and you can choose what kind of handball you want to watch. It is very much like a handball festival. It's fun just walking around.

In August, she's moving to Kristiansand to play for the big club Vipers.
– It will be a lot of fun. I'm very much looking forward to the move. I'm excited and hopeful. I don't know very much about the league but it is slightly better than the Swedish one but quite similar in how the table looks. It will be a lot of fun.
She wants to develop a lot as a handball player during the stay in Norway.
– I hope to learn a lot from the players who are real world stars and just absorb as much as I can from them. Then we'll see how it goes.

But first of all, the Olympics await in France.
– The goal is that we will try to go as far as possible in the tournament. I hope that we can reach our highest level. When we play well, we are very good. I hope we will be able to fight for the medals, but it will take a lot for us to get there, says Nina Koppang.
What will be the coolest thing about the Olympics?
– It's hard to say when you haven't been there. I have heard that it will be a very positive experience, says the national team star.