Katja Nyberg
Encyclopedia
Katja Johanna Alice Nyberg (born 24 August 1979 in Stockholm
, Sweden
and grew up in Finland
), is a naturalized
Norwegian
handball
player, currently playing for Norwegian club Larvik HK
as well as the Norwegian national team
.
and other athletics varieties. She started her handball career in Helsinki
club Sparta IF with her father as coach.
where she played for Stockholmspolisens IF
for one season (1997–1998), then signed a contract with Norwegian club Larvik HK
and played there for 7 years (1998–2005).
During her seven seasons in Larvik, Nyberg achieved great success. She was named Player of the Year of the Norwegian league in 2001 and 2005. She also won the Cup Winners' Cup in 2004/05 and reached the semi-finals of the Champions League in 2001/02 and 2003/04. By the time she left the club, she had scored an average of 6.65 goals per match, with 765 goals in 115 matches.
In 2005, Nyberg signed a one-year contract with Slovenia
n champion Krim Ljubljana
. However, her season in Ljubljana
was prematurely ended in October of that year when she suffered a serious shoulder injury. It required surgery and kept her away from the handball court for six months. By that time, her relationship with Gro Hammerseng
had already become public and both had expressed their desire to play for the same club. They received offers from other clubs, but ultimately chose Ikast
, where Hammerseng was already playing. Nyberg lived in Denmark
and played for FC Midtjylland Håndbold
for 4 years (2006–2010). On 17 February 2010, she signed a two-year contract with her former club Larvik HK
and has played for them since the 2010/11 season.
on 23 March 2001 against France. She was not allowed to play for Norway in official tournaments until 2002 because she had competed at the 1999 Junior World Championship qualification for Finland
.
Her first major competition as a Norwegian player was the 2002 European Championship
where Norway received a silver medal. She then received a gold medal at the 2004
and 2006
European Championships.
Nyberg missed the 2005 World Championship
due to the shoulder injury she suffered in Ljubljana, but she was with the team two years later when Norway won the silver medal at the 2007 World Championship
in France
. She was also voted Most Valuable Player
of the tournament. Apart from this individual recognition, one of her biggest achievements with the national team to date was winning the gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
As of February 2009, she has played 99 games for Norway and scored 321 goals.
European Championship:
World Championship:
Summer Olympics:
Norwegian League
Norwegian Cup
Norwegian Play-offs
EHF Cup Winner's Cup
EHF Champions League:
With: FC Midtjylland Håndbold
('Ikast')
Danish League (DM):
EHF Cup:
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and grew up in Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
), is a naturalized
Naturalization
Naturalization is the acquisition of citizenship and nationality by somebody who was not a citizen of that country at the time of birth....
Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
handball
Team handball
Handball is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each pass a ball to throw it into the goal of the other team...
player, currently playing for Norwegian club Larvik HK
Larvik HK
Larvik Håndballklubb, is a women's handball club from Larvik, Norway. They play in the Norwegian top league for women and they have won the Norwegian Championship thirteen times.- History :...
as well as the Norwegian national team
Norway women's national handball team
The Norway women's national handball team is the national team of Norway. It is governed by the Norwegian Handball Federation and takes part in international handball competitions....
.
Early years
Katja Nyberg is the daughter of Robert Nyberg, the first Finnish handball player to play professionally abroad. She was born in Stockholm while Robert was living in Sweden. The family later relocated to Finland where she grew up. Nyberg played sports from an early age, mainly javelin throwJavelin throw
The javelin throw is a track and field athletics throwing event where the object to be thrown is the javelin, a spear approximately 2.5 metres in length. Javelin is an event of both the men's decathlon and the women's heptathlon...
and other athletics varieties. She started her handball career in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
club Sparta IF with her father as coach.
Club career
Nyberg played for Sparta until she was 18. As handball in Finland was not competitive enough, she decided to pursue a professional career abroad. She first moved to SwedenSweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
where she played for Stockholmspolisens IF
Stockholmspolisens IF
Stockholmspolisens IF is a Swedish swim team from Stockholm, Sweden founded in 1912. Stockholmspolisens IF also has departments in team handball, basketball, football, judo and, triathlon. The swimming department offers swimming, diving, masters swimming and water polo.-External links:*...
for one season (1997–1998), then signed a contract with Norwegian club Larvik HK
Larvik HK
Larvik Håndballklubb, is a women's handball club from Larvik, Norway. They play in the Norwegian top league for women and they have won the Norwegian Championship thirteen times.- History :...
and played there for 7 years (1998–2005).
During her seven seasons in Larvik, Nyberg achieved great success. She was named Player of the Year of the Norwegian league in 2001 and 2005. She also won the Cup Winners' Cup in 2004/05 and reached the semi-finals of the Champions League in 2001/02 and 2003/04. By the time she left the club, she had scored an average of 6.65 goals per match, with 765 goals in 115 matches.
In 2005, Nyberg signed a one-year contract with Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
n champion Krim Ljubljana
Krim Ljubljana
RK Krim is a women's team handball club from Ljubljana, Slovenia. The club was founded in 1984. It has several times been the Slovenian champion and cup winner...
. However, her season in Ljubljana
Ljubljana
Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
was prematurely ended in October of that year when she suffered a serious shoulder injury. It required surgery and kept her away from the handball court for six months. By that time, her relationship with Gro Hammerseng
Gro Hammerseng
Gro Hammerseng is a Norwegian handballer playing for the Norwegian national team and Norwegian club Larvik HK. She has been the captain of the national team for several years, and in 2007 she was voted female World Handball Player of the Year.- Club career :Hammerseng started her handball career...
had already become public and both had expressed their desire to play for the same club. They received offers from other clubs, but ultimately chose Ikast
FC Midtjylland Håndbold
FC Midtjylland Håndbold is a Danish women's handball club based in Ikast. They play in the Dame Håndbold Ligaen since 1991. In 1998, FCM won the Danish Championship...
, where Hammerseng was already playing. Nyberg lived in Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
and played for FC Midtjylland Håndbold
FC Midtjylland Håndbold
FC Midtjylland Håndbold is a Danish women's handball club based in Ikast. They play in the Dame Håndbold Ligaen since 1991. In 1998, FCM won the Danish Championship...
for 4 years (2006–2010). On 17 February 2010, she signed a two-year contract with her former club Larvik HK
Larvik HK
Larvik Håndballklubb, is a women's handball club from Larvik, Norway. They play in the Norwegian top league for women and they have won the Norwegian Championship thirteen times.- History :...
and has played for them since the 2010/11 season.
National team
Katja Nyberg gained Norwegian citizenship on 16 January 2001 and made her debut with the national teamNorway women's national handball team
The Norway women's national handball team is the national team of Norway. It is governed by the Norwegian Handball Federation and takes part in international handball competitions....
on 23 March 2001 against France. She was not allowed to play for Norway in official tournaments until 2002 because she had competed at the 1999 Junior World Championship qualification for Finland
Finland women's national handball team
The Finland women's national handball team is the national team of Finland. It takes part in international team handball competitions.The team has yet to participate in a European or World championship.-External links:*...
.
Her first major competition as a Norwegian player was the 2002 European Championship
2002 European Women's Handball Championship
The 2002 EHF European Women's Handball Championship was held in Denmark from 6–15 December. It was won by Denmark after beating Norway 25–22 in the final match.-Venues:The European Championships was held in the following cities:...
where Norway received a silver medal. She then received a gold medal at the 2004
2004 European Women's Handball Championship
The 2004 EHF European Women's Handball Championship was held in Hungary from 9–19 December, it was won by Norway after beating Denmark 27–25 in the final match.-Venues:The European Championships will be held in the following cities:...
and 2006
2006 European Women's Handball Championship
The 2006 EHF European Women's Handball Championship was held in Sweden from 7–17 December. It was won by Norway after beating Russia 27–24 in the final match....
European Championships.
Nyberg missed the 2005 World Championship
2005 World Women's Handball Championship
-Group B:Games played in SCC Peterburgsky.All times are UTC+3---------------------------------------------------------Group C:Games played in Yubileyny Sports Palace .All times are UTC+3--------...
due to the shoulder injury she suffered in Ljubljana, but she was with the team two years later when Norway won the silver medal at the 2007 World Championship
2007 World Women's Handball Championship
The 2007 World Women's Handball Championship took place in France from 2 December to 16 December 2007. It was the 18th team handball world championship for women. A total of 24 teams participated in the tournament...
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. She was also voted Most Valuable Player
Most Valuable Player
In sports, a Most Valuable Player award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests...
of the tournament. Apart from this individual recognition, one of her biggest achievements with the national team to date was winning the gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
As of February 2009, she has played 99 games for Norway and scored 321 goals.
National Handball Team results
NORWEGIAN NATIONAL TEAMEuropean Championship:
- Gold: 2004, 2006,
- silver in 2002
World Championship:
- Silver: 2007
Summer Olympics:
- Gold: 2008
Club Handball results
With: Larvik HKLarvik HK
Larvik Håndballklubb, is a women's handball club from Larvik, Norway. They play in the Norwegian top league for women and they have won the Norwegian Championship thirteen times.- History :...
Norwegian League
- Gold: 99/00, 00/01, 01/02, 02/03, 04/05
- Bronze: 03/04
Norwegian Cup
- Gold: 99/00, 02/03, 03/04, 04/05
- Silver: 98/99
Norwegian Play-offs
- Gold: 04/05
EHF Cup Winner's Cup
- Gold: 04/05
EHF Champions League:
- Semi-finalist: 01/02, 03/04
With: FC Midtjylland Håndbold
FC Midtjylland Håndbold
FC Midtjylland Håndbold is a Danish women's handball club based in Ikast. They play in the Dame Håndbold Ligaen since 1991. In 1998, FCM won the Danish Championship...
('Ikast')
Danish League (DM):
- Silver: 07/08
EHF Cup:
- Silver: 06/07
Awards and recognition
- Player of the year of the Norwegian league in 2001 and 2005
- Most Valuable PlayerMost Valuable PlayerIn sports, a Most Valuable Player award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests...
at the 2007 World Championship2007 World Women's Handball ChampionshipThe 2007 World Women's Handball Championship took place in France from 2 December to 16 December 2007. It was the 18th team handball world championship for women. A total of 24 teams participated in the tournament... - Honorary member of the Finnish Handball Federation
- Honorary member of Sparta IF