Olaf Neuenfeld

Olaf Neuenfeld (born May 30, 1970 in Hanover ) is a German fistball player and the current coach of the German men's national fistball team.

Career

player

During his active time with the Hanover Gymnastics Association in 1852, setter Neuenfeld was German champion four times between 1994 and 1997. He won the first three national titles in the field , the last one in the hall. In 1995, 1996 and 1997 he won the European Cup in the field with TS Hannover and in 1997, at the end of his career as an active player, also won the World Cup in Hannover. When Germany became world champions for the ninth time in a row in 1995 , Neuenfeld (5 senior internationals) was part of the squad. Neuenfeld ran 38 times for the German offspring, and was German youth champion three times between 1984 and 1987.

National coach

After his career as a player and player-coach of the Hanover gymnastics club, Neuenfeld took over the coaching post of the German U-18 national youth team in 1998. These he led to several European championship titles in January 2006 in Chile to the world title .

From 2002 to 2005 he was the national coach of Denmark. He led the Danes to 6th place for the first time at the 2003 World Cup in Brazil and thus achieved their first qualification for the World Games. There he reached 6th place with Denmark in Duisburg in 2005.

At the beginning of 2006 he took over the coaching of the German men's national fistball team from his predecessor Udo Schulz. At the 2007 World Cup in their own country, Neuenfeld and his team had to be satisfied with third place. In Oldenburg , the semi-finals were lost 3-0 against eventual world champions Austria. Four months before the World Cup, a personnel decision by Neuenfeld caused a sensation: the national coach reactivated his former teammate Martin Becker, who was 41 years old at the time, in the important position of batsman .

Without Becker and other veterans, Neuenfeld's German national team had to be content with third place at the 2008 European Championships in Stuttgart , as well as at the 2010 European Championship in Ermatingen .

In 2011, Neuenfeld celebrated his greatest success as a coach to date: winning the title at the World Cup in Austria , when Germany surprisingly became world champions after a 16-year lean period, with a team that was still young.

2012 was followed by a small setback when Germany was only third again as a co-favorite at the European Championships in Schweinfurt .

In 2013 the German team won the World Games in Cali (Colombia).

In 2014 the German national fistball team succeeded in winning the title again at the European Championships in Olten (Switzerland) for the first time in 14 years and 7 European championships .

In 2015 Neuenfeld's team managed to defend their title at the World Cup in Córdoba (Argentina).

In 2016, the renewed European title in Grieskirchen (Austria) went to Germany.

In 2017 he defended his title at the World Games in Wrocław, Poland.

In 2018, the third European title in a row was won at the home European championships in Adelmannsfelden.

In 2019 Neuenfeld's team won the third consecutive world title in Winterthur (Switzerland).

successes

As a player

• 1994: German champion (field)
• 1995: German champion (field)
• 1995: European Cup winner (field)
• 1996: German champion (field)
• 1996: European Cup winner (field)
• 1997: German champion (hall)
• 1997: European Cup winner (field)
• 1997: World Cup winner (field)

As national coach

• 2006: World Champion U-18 (Llanquihue / Chile)
• 2007: Third place in the World Cup (Oldenburg)
• 2008: European Championship third (Stuttgart-Stammheim)
• 2009: Fourth place World Games (Kaohsiung / Taiwan)
• 2010: European Championship third (Ermatingen / Switzerland)
• 2011: World Champion (Pasching / Austria)
• 2012: European Championship third (Schweinfurt)
• 2013: World Games - Winner (Cali / Colombia)
• 2014: European Champion (Olten / Switzerland)
• 2015: World Champion (Villa General Belgrano / Argentina)
• 2016: European Champion (Grieskirchen / Austria)
• 2017: World Games - Winner (Wrocław / Poland)
• 2018: European Champion (Adelmannsfelden / Germany)
• 2019: World Champion (Winterthur / Switzerland)

Private

As with many fistball players, Neuenfeld's family has a close relationship with this sport - his grandparents were already on the fistball field. Before him, both parents were German champions in this age group. First mother Heike triumphed in 1982 with TS Hannover, eleven years later father Paul with TuS Bothfeld . In 2002, Neuenfeld's older sister Britta also managed a DM victory in the age group with Ahlhorner SV .

National trainer Neuenfeld sells nursing articles full-time. He is also interested in football: Neuenfeld is a supporter and member of Borussia Dortmund .