Larsson hopeful Britain will succeed where Australia failed

Figures of 1.3 million for handball sound miniscule in comparison, but they are numbers that represent a real success story of these Games.

Handball, like volleyball and water polo, is predominantly a central European sport.

But from an afternoon spent in the Copper Box, the handball venue in the Olympic Park, it is easy to see why so much fuss is being made about it by a wider audience.

Handball is a fast-paced, end-to-end game played on a basketball-sized court with goals aplenty – giving ample reasons for the crowds to cheer frequently.

It is an enjoyably, quirky spectator sport, with protagonists tearing about flinging a ball past an almost helpless goalkeeper.

On the rare occasion a shot-stopper prevents one of these close-range missiles from finding the net, they wheel around to the crowd behind them, roaring their approval.

Yesterday afternoon at the Copper Box, the campaign for the Great Britain men’s team ended in a 41-24 defeat to Beijing silver medallists Iceland.

It was their fifth defeat in five.

But for Steven Larsson, who spent his first 10 years living in Scarborough before moving to Sweden, victory for British handball this past fortnight was as much about growing the game as it was results – and 1.3 million viewers is a good start.

“Personally I wanted to show that I could compete with the best players in the world,” said Larsson, 31, who scored nine of Britain’s 21 goals yesterday.

“But the legacy is equally important.

“We’re hoping handball will kick off now.

“It sounds like it’s been popular on television, so I hope it continues and we get funding from UK Sport later in the year.

“Because we’ve got to build this sport from scratch.

“You have to start small in schools, and in building clubs around the country.

“There’s a platform here. I know of a lot of people have been waiting to start handball clubs, they just need people through the door.

“Handball was really successful in Sydney 2000, but Australia is a vast country and they couldn’t get anything started.

“Britain is a lot smaller so it will be easier.

“But they have to be quick about it, cash in on the feel-good factor, get building the sport now.”

Larsson’s family moved back to Scarborough when he was 19 and have been down in the Olympic Park to watch a number of his games.

Larsson stayed in Scandinavia to continue his development in a sport he had played for four years.

Competing in a home Olympics has been the pinnacle of his career, but to continue the progression of the men’s team, qualification for next year’s World Cup will be vital.

Those who have enjoyed watching this past fortnight also need to act. The onus for growth is handed to them.