World's first female handball player to win three Player of the Year awards: Cristina Neagu sets world record (VIDEO)
Basel, Switzerland -- Romanian Cristina Neagu, 28, won the 2016 IHF World Player of the Year; it's the third Player of the Year award after Neagu had won it already in 2010 and 2015 - thus setting the new world record for the World's First female handball player to win three IHF Player of the Year awards, according to the World Record Academy. Photo: Romanian Cristina Neagu, 28, won the 2016 IHF World Player of the Year; it's the third Player of the Year award after Neagu had won it already in 2010 and 2015 - thus setting the new world record for the World's First female handball player to win three IHF Player of the Year awards. Photo: IHF (enlarge photo)
The Guinness World Records world record for the largest handball lesson is 678 and was organized by Ravindra Kisan Gaikwad (India), in Solapur, India.
Guinness World Records also recognized the world record for the largest game of dodgeball involved 6,084 participants and was achieved by the University of California, Irvine at a game organised by NLA Sports (both USA) in Irvine, California, USA, on 25 September 2012.
The IHF World Player of the Year is a handball award given annually to the player who is considered to have performed the best in the previous season, both at club and international competitions. It is awarded based on votes Fans, media and an IHF expert group.
The winners of this year's Players of the Year vote are: Nikola Karabatic (FRA) and Cristina Neagu (ROU).
For both of them it's the third Player of the Year award after Karabatic had won it already in 2007 and 2014 and Neagu in 2010 and 2015.
Cristina Neagu's Profile*
Name: Cristina Georgiana Neagu
Nationality: Romania
Date of birth: 26 August 1988
Current club: ZRK Buducnost Podgorica (starting 2017 season Club: CSM Bucharest) Achievements:
2015 World Championship bronze;
2010 Women's EHF EURO bronze;
EHF Champions League winner 2015;
3x IHF Player of the Year (2010, 2015 and 2016) (*source: International Handball Federation)
Neagu reached the final stage of the Champions League three times (in 2009, 2014 and 2015). She has been a member of the European Championship All-Star Team for three times (2010, 2014 and 2016). She received a bronze medal at the 2010 European Championship, being also the top scorer of the competition and having the most assists.
Neagu won her first Champions League trophy in 2015 after an outstanding season, topping the goalscorers list alongside Andrea Penezić and being voted the best left back of the competition.
She was named MVP player at the Handball World Championship in Denmark (2015), where she scored 63 goals - being the top goalscorer in the competition.
Cristina Neagu was born in Bucharest on August 26, 1988 in Ghencea district, a few hundred meters from Ghencea Stadium. She has two older sisters. She was discovered by coach Maria Covaci.
Cristina Neagu's Individual Awards:
●Carpathian Trophy Top Scorer: 2006 2015
●Team of the Tournament Left Back of the Bucharest Trophy: 2014,]2015
● All-Star Left Back of the European Championship: 2014
●Most Valuable Player of the European Women's Youth Handball Championship: 2005, 2006
●All-Star Left-Back of the European Women's Junior Handball Championship: 2007
●IHF World's Best Rookie of the Year: 2009
●Most Valuable Player GF World Cup: 2009, 2010 ●Romanian Handballer of the Year: 2009, 2010, 2015, 2016
●All-Star Left-Back of the European Championship: 2010, 2014, 2016
●Top Goalscorer of the European Championship: 2010
●Most Assists at the European Championship: 2010
●IHF World Player of the Year: 2010, 2015, 2016 ●Handball-Planet.com Player of the Year: 2015, 2016
●Handball-Planet.com Best Left Back: 2014, 2015, 2016
●All-Star Team Best Left Back of the EHF Champions League: 2015, 2016
●EHF Champions League Top Scorer: 2015
●Most Valuable Player of the IHF World Women's Handball Championship: 2015
●All-Star Team Best Left Back of the IHF World Women's Handball Championship: 2015
●Top Goalscorer (63) of the IHF World Women's Handball Championship: 2015
