Sunday evening, in the little cauldron of Trondheim. The French team leads by one length against Norway (23-24). There are only a few seconds left to play and Scandinavian right winger Stine Skogrand flies away, before seeing her attempt fail against Laura Glauser. A tenth save for the French goalkeeper, who would undoubtedly have deserved the title of player of the match more than her Norwegian counterpart Katrine Lunde. Except that the votes were closed before this decisive stop, which allowed the Bleues to continue their flawless performance during this World Championship with a 6th victory in as many matches and to offer themselves a quarter-final well within their reach against the surprising Czechs this Tuesday (5:30 p.m.).
“I am happy and calm, even if that is perhaps not the right word,” explained Laura Glauser after this convincing success against one of the host nations of the competition, incidentally European and world champion in title. “Happy that we found ourselves in defense, because it is our strong point and the trademark of the France team. It’s cool that we were able to put on such a performance. We never panicked and I think we can explain it by the fact that we gained maturity. This evening (Sunday), we’re not going to lie to each other, we had nothing to lose, Norway had the pressure, not us. They were at home and everything…We just wanted to have fun and have a good match. My last stop, frankly, I don’t remember anything. No idea what’s going on, but the main thing is I’m stopping it!” A form of detachment and humility very much like the goalkeeper of Les Bleues.
Long in the shadow of the essential Amandine Leynaud or the explosive Cléopâtre Darleux, Laura Glauser finds herself in the spotlight at this World Championship, given the retirement of the first named (who is now part of the staff) and the difficulties of the second in recovering from a concussion which leaves doubt as to the continuation of her career while she was at the top of her art just before. However, this change in status slips on the jersey of the native of Besançon. “It doesn’t change anything for me,” she told us before the start of the World Cup. “We are several goalkeepers, who aspire to the same thing. Whether I’m the oldest, it doesn’t matter. I don’t see myself as the number 1 goalkeeper. Hatadou (Sako) is doing very well too. And I don’t think that the most important thing is knowing who is number 1 and number 2. The most important thing is that we manage to complement each other during matches, that one succeeds in compensating for any difficulties of the other on this or that match so that the team always has an efficient goalkeeper.”
A goalkeeper position which has always been the symbol of French excellence in defensive matters, which was again seen against Norwegians whose offensive potential, nevertheless considered the most impressive today on the planet of women’s handball , came up against a wall. Or rather an impassable wall, or almost. And at 30, Laura Glauser ensures continuity, without asking questions: “30 years doesn’t change anything for me. I had already had my mid-30s crisis before and today I feel great. Likewise, I don’t project too much into the future. There’s no point in making plans for later because what matters, especially in sport, is now.” Even if she had to overcome a very difficult period in 2022, between injuries, personal problems and depression, which she summarized as follows in the columns of L’Équipe: “I was very bitter, sad, angry all the time, I I had very few moments of joy and pleasure. The hand wasn’t going well, my private life was difficult too and I was having trouble getting my head above water. It was also my character, to say to myself: “It’s going to be okay, it’s going to be okay.” But no. What I would like to say is that we have the right not to be well sometimes. We have to accept this period, we are not robots. And accepting it allows us to bounce back more quickly. Talking about it today is part of my healing process. And I know that the more we talk about it, the less taboo it will be.”
The constantly renewed confidence of Olivier Krumbholz and the joyful nature of this young mother finally allowed her to regain the upper hand, to rebuild a solid physique, and a mind in line with her immense talent. All marked with a new maturity, and a confirmed desire to apply the rule of Carpe Diem on a daily basis. “I want to be focused on the present moment,” she says. “Of course, I have the Paris Games in the back of my mind but I am convinced that focusing solely on this World Championship will help me better prepare for the Olympic deadline.”
Just as she refuses to accept this diktat imposed on the French team of having to win constantly, and without the right to miss a step. “It’s society that wants this, that imposes this on us. When a team is champion, in the eyes of the public, it’s normal to continue to perform. She almost has to win. However, the reality is different because a group must renew itself, regenerate itself, with new players. The same goes for our adversaries. So I’m not going to tell you that every year the situation is totally different, because that’s not the case. But there are always adjustments to be made, which makes it complicated to constantly stay on the podium. Obviously we always want to win the best medal, but doing it is something else. I don’t like the pressure of having to achieve this or that result. It’s a negative pressure in my opinion. She doesn’t enter my thoughts.” Which does not prevent him from aiming much higher than this quarter-final against the Czech Republic.