Hungary is well-known for its passionate handball fans, who bring their vibrant energy to every game and offer unconditional support to their teams. As the upcoming Women’s EHF EURO 2024 will be co-hosted by Austria, Hungary and Switzerland, we can count on the Hungarian fans to give an extra boost to their national team and players. It will truly be an unforgettable experience, especially for Petra Simon, who will make her debut in the competition in her home country.
The centre back has been turning heads since the junior and youth competitions, where she managed to win two gold medals — at the W17 EHF EURO 2021 and W19 EHF EURO 2023 — and one bronze, at the IHF Women’s Youth World Championship in 2022. During the W19 EHF EURO tournament last year, Petra Simon scored 43 goals in the journey towards the title, including eight decisive strikes in the final against Denmark. Her stellar performance has been rewarded with the MVP trophy, in addition to being named in the All-star Team as the best centre back.
Despite her young age — she celebrated her 20th birthday in November — Petra is already performing at the highest level, having been part of FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria’s squad for the last two seasons and playing in the EHF Champions League. With the senior national team, the talented player has already participated in two major international tournaments, making her appearance at the 2023 IHF Women’s World Championship and the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Now, Petra Simon is ready to take on a new challenge with Hungary, as the team hopes to add more silverware to their collection. In this mini-documentary, the young star opens up about the pressure of playing on the biggest international stages, helping fans take a closer look at her career.
The full episode is available to watch on the Home of Handball YouTube channel and on EHFTV. Petra Simon and Hungary will have their first encounter in the Women’s EHF EURO 2024 on 28 November, at 18:00 CET, when they meet Türkiye in group A of the preliminary round.
