Up high with the highflyer

Julian Köster provided one of THE sporting moments of 2024. There were six seconds left to play in the Olympic quarter-final between the French and German handball teams. Germany was virtually eliminated, France was in possession of the ball. It was impossible to get back into the game. Actually. The French team took the throw-off and the ball flew in a high arc from one player to the next. But then Julian Köster, the two-meter man, soared into the air and grabbed the ball! With four seconds left, Köster decided to pass the ball to his free-standing teammate Uscins, who scored at the last second after 59 minutes and 59 seconds, thus saving Germany in extra time. In the end, Germany not only won the game, but also won the Olympic silver medal with Julian Köster.

At the age of 24, the player from Gummersbach is already an absolute top performer. In the national team as well as at VfL Gummersbach. In this interview, he explains how he made it to the top of world handball and how he always manages to keep his cool with individual regeneration methods and routines.

From second division player to the national team

His sporting CV already reads like a storybook career. Born in Bielefeld, he went through all the youth teams in the talent factory of TSV Bayer Dormagen before moving to the big VfL Gummersbach, once one of the biggest handball clubs in Germany, for the 2020/2021 season. Julian didn't need much time to settle in. In his first season in the second Bundesliga, he was nominated for the national team and was able to celebrate promotion to the top tier of German handball, the best league in the world. “Nine months after my transfer, I was invited to play for the senior national team, for which I was able to make my debut. I was then also nominated for the European Championships. Back then, as a second division player, it was an extreme change for me, especially in terms of the high level of media interest. I was able to gain a lot of new impressions. Then came promotion to the first Bundesliga with Gummersbach and I was appointed captain, which is a great role for such a big traditional club. It's not a given that I can take on this role at such a young age.”

Staying cool in pressure situations

Since this season, he has also captained the team in the European League on the international stage. Köster is an absolute key player in his team. He keeps a cool head in the decisive phases: “I generally try to approach the game in a calm and focused manner. Emotions are a very important part of our sport, which is what makes handball what it is and without which it doesn't work. But you have to control the emotions. If they get the upper hand, you can't make good decisions during the game, which are extremely crucial in crunch time. I try not to let anything upset me in this phase.”
 

Childhood dream of the Olympics

One keyword immediately brings a sparkle to Julian's eyes: the Olympics. In the summer of 2024, he took part in his first Olympic Games in Paris. He kept his nerve in the quarter-final against France, despite 27,000 frenetically celebrating fans who were all for the host country. Even when nobody believed that Germany could come back. “I was already happy before the tournament that we had managed to qualify - which wasn't easy. Then to experience the size of this event in the Olympic Village and to see the amount of athletes was impressive. That was the first time I realized the scale of it. A big childhood dream came true for me. The silver medal was the crowning glory of our tournament and we will always have very positive memories of it, which is all the better.”

Powerful comeback

After the sporting highlight in the summer, Köster then suffered a setback in September. In a Bundesliga match, he tore an inner ligament in his knee and was out for a long time. However, he put a lot of effort into his subsequent rehab and fought his way back. “I'm doing very well, I have a very good feeling in my body and I've now played a lot of games again. I'm completely symptom-free, which is the most important thing. I'm getting more and more rhythm”. In both strength and athletic training, he has been able to acquire important exercise routines that already target and warm up his muscles in the warm-up so that his knee is optimally stabilized. “I use the LOOP BANDS in my warm-up. I use the FOAM ROLLER every day for the classic roll-out, but especially in training as a correction for stabilization exercises. They are great tools.” After strenuous games and sessions, the COMPRESSION BOOTS are also a must.

Recovery is key

The stresses and strains of traveling between the league, DHB Cup, European League and national team are enormous. “The focus here is on regeneration. I'm a big fan of active regeneration, so I do heavier strength training adapted to the previous day's match. Due to the busy match schedule, I only have time for this the day after the game, otherwise the next game is due. To balance things out, I like to go for walks outside and meet up with friends. On match day, I do yoga in the morning - at least I think it's yoga (laughs) to get everything moving a bit. It also helps me to relax after intense weeks and relieve the tension.”

His daily routines are also important to Julian. After getting up in the morning, he always makes his bed and makes sure he has a balanced diet, as well as restful sleep and active regeneration. He does everything he can to prepare for the next big goal in the best possible way.

World Championship in January

In January 2025, the Handball Men's World Championship will take place from January 14 to February 2 in Croatia, Denmark and Norway. Köster is an important pillar of the DHB squad and has big plans for the team.

“Our aim at the tournament is to continue the good and successful year 2024 with the national team. We want to attack again!”

Although Julian can already look back on a number of successes at his young age, his focus is firmly on the future. “There are so many goals I want to achieve. The Olympics was my first medal with the national team and I hope there are a few more to come. A gold would also be nice (grins). That's what I dream of. We still have a lot of plans for the club, but so far I'm only looking at second division champions. I hope we can add a few more successes to that.”

The likeable top performer continues to do everything he can to stay on course for success and confirm his top form.