Renars Uscins: How a super talent became a superstar

Germany have won 22 consecutive EHF EURO Qualifiers in a series which began on 10 June 2015 with a 34:20 win in Finland, a month after a 26:20 loss in Spain. Germany went on to win the EHF EURO 2016 in Poland and won every qualifier for the 2018, 2020 and 2022 events before hosting — and skipping qualification for — the 2024 edition. The first two games on the road to the Men's EHF EURO 2026 saw Johannes Golla & co. take clear wins against Switzerland (35:26) and Türkiye (36:29) in group 7.

This week, the German team will be looking to extend this streak against Austria in a double-header, beginning with the Highlight Match of the round on Thursday at 18:00 CET in Vienna, and then on Saturday at 16:30 CET in a sold-out ZAG Arena in Hannover. Austria also won against Türkiye (31:28) but drew in Switzerland (29:29).

The Austria games are particularly special for captain Golla, as he will face his new SG Flensburg-Handewitt club coach Ales Pajovic — the Slovenian who has been coaching Austria since 2019 and will continue to do so until the end of the current qualifiers.

But another player is currently at the centre of attention, playing in his home arena in Hannover: Renars Uscins, who was voted Germany's Handball Player of the Year 2024 a few weeks ago at the age of 22. His roots are in Latvia, where he was born, but he never played handball there. His father Armand was a Latvian international and moved to Dessau-Roßlauer HV in 2005 and it was there, near Magdeburg, that Uscins' career began. He soon joined SC Magdeburg and became a German youth champion. His next big success came in the summer of 2021 as an All-star Team member and captain of Germany, Uscins won gold at the M19 EHF EURO. 

In 2022, he transferred to TSV Hannover-Burgdorf, and in 2023 he captained Germany to the title at the U21 World Championship on home soil. A few months later, he made his debut in the men's national team and has been an integral part of the squad since EHF EURO 2024. Uscins was Germany's top scorer in the Olympic qualifiers for Paris in Hannover, and then came his finest moments under the five rings in Paris and Lille. 

The left-hander scored 14 goals in the Olympic quarter-final against hosts France in Lille, including the last two goals in the final 25 seconds of regular time to make the score 29:29, which were followed by four more goals in overtime to win 35:34.

“That was a unique game in terms of the drama. That was the biggest highlight of my career so far. At the EHF EURO 2024 in Germany, you could feel what it's like to have 20,000 fans in your favour, now it was 20,000 against you. But we got into a flow where you just forget the time, forget the feeling of what's around you and just do what's the most fun,” Uscins explained.

In Lille, the super talent became a superstar, ultimately winning the silver medal as the top scorer of Germany at the Olympics — and it wasn't easy for Uscins to deal with that new-found fame.

“Especially after the Olympics, there was a lot of attention surrounding me, mainly on social media. But luckily, I am mentally cool enough to just take it in my stride and not let it get to me,” he said, adding he hasn't had the time to let everything settle.

"2024 was a very crazy year. Many handball players don't go through these experiences in just one year — more like in three years. Debut in the national team, first European Championship, Olympic participation, for me, it was somehow all at the same time. You can't really have more attention and more pressure to perform.”

After the Olympic Games, Uscins was in the spotlight, especially at the 2025 IHF World Championships in January. Instead of the medal he had hoped for, Germany were eliminated in the quarter-finals by Portugal.

“Such defeats are simply part of a team's development. That's probably what our coach Alfred Gislason meant when he said the World Championship wasn't a step backwards. Everything is so close. We have a lot of potential and high quality. That's why we're all deeply relaxed,” Uscins said.

If Germany keep their streak going and beat Austria twice, they already punch their ticket to the EHF EURO 2026 final tournament and secure their place in the preliminary round in Herning, Denmark. Perhaps it is a good omen that the second match against Austria takes place in his home arena in Hannover, where Uscins' goals against Austria in the Olympic qualification sent the German team to Paris, and ultimately Lille.

At EHF EURO 2026, Uscins wants to play for the medals again.

"I simply want to continue to fulfil the big role I have in the club and the national team. The long-term goal for the national team is to be a permanent guest in the semi-finals of the World and European Championships and then take the really big step. It's up to all of us, each and every one of us, to continue to develop. And I want to play in Europe again next season with Hannover.”

Photos © kolektiff

* The interview with Renars Uscins was conducted in early March. After the interview as well as after the publication of this news article the German Handball Federation announced that Uscins is suffering from an injury and may only be available for Germany's home match against Austria on Saturday, 15 March.