Lunde’s heartfelt letter to handball

Norwegian goalkeeping legend will put an end to an extraordinary career when she bows for one last time, on Sunday, 12 April in an EHF EURO Cup 2026 match against Slovakia. And where better to do that, but where the dreams of achieving the unthinkable have started in the first place, her hometown, Kristiansand.

Lunde has imprinted the sport on a level that no words can describe, and as the queen waves goodbye, we can confidently say that the Lunde legacy will live for many more generations to come. Here’s her heartfelt letter to handball, originally published after the IHF World Championship 2025.

LUNDE'S HEARTFELT LETTER TO HANDBALL

Gratitude, friendship, acknowledgement, feeling proud, but also feeling a bit empty, empty for knowing that it was the last championship for me. This is how I feel now. 

I am Katrine Lunde, and I just won my third world championship title, but I have also just said goodbye to my national team, Norway, with whom I won everything a player can win. 

It was really hard. I still don't believe it. I still haven’t fully accepted it. I tried to stop playing before, but my heart didn't say yes, so then I knew that I had to wait a bit more. And then I felt now was the time!

It was the perfect moment to do it after the World Championship. I thought it would be a very good ending, no matter how the championship would go, and that this way I could say goodbye to all the nice people who were there, around me, during the championships.

It's hard to say goodbye because there are so many amazing people and friends there, in the same place where I worked for the past 25 years. So, it's not easy to just say goodbye…

I don’t know much about what was written or said about me, as during the championships, I do not check social media or follow the news much, but I can assume.  Even with assumptions, it's a lot of emotions in a way. I'm proud that people can speak well of me. I feel blessed that I can be in this environment, that I can reach my own and my team's goals, and still just enjoy all the energy around me, around the handball people.

Handball has shaped me as a person and as a handball player. I was growing with people around me, in the national team and in the clubs. There were very smart and good people who would challenge me to think about my values, what is important to me, what I can give to other girls, and what I can do better for myself. 

Looking back at my journey, I would say one thing to my teammates, but also to other players: Enjoy. Enjoy the moment, enjoy playing handball, enjoy all the things it gives to you and take every chance you get. 

To my daughter, Atina: You can do everything! You can be proud that girls can do everything they want; there are no limits for you. If you set yourself goals, go for them; they are possible! 

And to myself: I am proud of my career. Proud of achieving something that I set myself to achieve. I am grateful to have had the chance to meet so many people who have touched my heart so much.

Now I am preparing for a new chapter. It’s a bit scary because for a long time I did what I loved the most, and for which I had 100 per cent motivation, and I knew that I was one of the best. I’m looking ahead to doing something where I don’t know what will happen, where I will have to change the way I am using my skills. 

I am looking forward to it a lot, but I also don’t have big plans yet. I don’t know if I will play more handball, or if I will stop now. 

There is a big decision ahead, but I will listen to what my heart says!

Photos © kolektiff