Horacek: “The games against Metz will define the first part of our season”

This move to Slovenia is her second experience out of France, after she played for one season for Hungarian club Siofók KC. But the circumstances were completely different, as Covid-19 took hold in early 2020 and the whole 2020/21 season was played behind closed doors.

“It was really special, and I did not enjoy it much as all borders were closed. No matter how good or bad things evolved on the court, how I look back on that experience is I feel like it was not complete,” explains Horacek.

So when Krim called, she did not take that long to say yes. The decision was a lucky one as well, as Neptunes de Nantes, where she played last season, went into bankruptcy in the summer.

But while Horacek made clear she wanted to play the EHF Champions League again after the experience in Nantes, her move to Slovenia was also a more intimate one.

“I wanted to write another chapter of the family story,” she says, reminding us that her mother, Vesna, played for Krim from 1999 to 2002, winning the EHF Champions League in 2001 with the club. While she might not have much memories of it, her stay in the Slovenian capital city seems to have been an important one for the locals.

“We had this kind of gala to open the season, and we were chilling afterwards, talking to the fans and the partners. And a lot of them came to me and asked if I remembered my time here, and how I was running around the hall while my mum was training and all of these things,” Horacek laughs.

“And I was like, ‘but I was only three, of course I do remember some of the people, but I don’t remember all of this!’”

Having her come back more than 20 years after her mother played for the club seems to be seen as a positive by the fans in Slovenia.

“It was really surprising, but in a good way,” Horacek thinks. “I guess that if people still have memories of my mother and me after all of this time, we must have left some kind of good impression.”

But after the childhood memories came the time to deliver on the court. Krim made an impression at the start of the season, losing their four first games before losing the last two, at home against CSM Bucuresti and against FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria.

“We all found our rhythm quite quickly, and that is a little bit of a surprise, as some of us were busy with the Olympics and we did not have that much time to work together in the preparation. I feel like there is a lot of room for improvement but that the foundations are strong,” says Horacek.

While there are only two Champions League rounds to be played before the Women’s EHF EURO 2024 starts, this is still a defining part of the season. Should Krim win at least one of their two games against Metz Handball, the first half of the season would be seen as good, or even very good.

“They are crucial and they will define the colour of the start of the season. We know that the season is a long one, that there are plenty of games left to play, but to end the first phase of the season with a positive balance would be a good signal for a young team like ours,” Horacek adds.

Next up for Krim is the MOTW in round 7 on Sunday (live on EHFTV at 14:00 CET) against Metz Handball, while the teams are set to meet again for the reverse fixture in France next week Saturday.

Playing twice against Metz, the club where she started handball and with which she played the EHF FINAL4 in 2022, is never just another game for Tamara Horacek.

“There is a huge history between us and it’s always fun to play against Metz. This is where it all started, it still feels like home and I know a lot of the players there. But now, I’m a Krim player and I will do everything it takes for my team to win,” she concludes.

Photos © Kolektiff Images