On October 1, a new adventure began for Robert Hedin as he gathered the Bahrain national team for the first time as head coach. Fast forward a few months, and just the other day Bahrain won their first major title ever, breaking Qatar’s grip on the Asian Championships.
“Half an hour before I was due to fly home, people from the federation came and tried to persuade me to stay because we were going to meet the king on Monday,” Robert Hedin tells GoHandball.
After several years as head coach of the United States men’s national team, it was announced in May that Robert Hedin would succeed Icelander Aron Kristjánsson as Bahrain’s national team coach. In early October, Hedin assembled the team for the first time.
“We had a training camp in October, then another one in December to play the Islamic Games, which we won. After that, it was back home for a few weeks before starting preparations for the Asian Championships, where the goal was to finish in the top four, which qualifies you for the World Championship playoffs. Bahrain had always finished no better than second, so the hope was to win gold,” says Hedin, who has just returned home to Norway.
Immediate success
And it turned into a resounding success for Hedin and his team. Bahrain cruised past Japan in the semifinals before facing Qatar in the final. Qatar had won the Asian Championships for ten consecutive editions and were once again the clear favourites. Few believed Bahrain could seriously challenge them, especially since Hedin and Bahrain had gone through a generational transition ahead of the tournament.
“We kept some of the older players and brought in quite a few young ones. I think we found a good balance where the younger players took some of the load off the veterans. The idea behind the Islamic Games was to integrate the younger players; the result wasn’t that important. But four days before the tournament started, the federation said we had to win it. And that’s how it is all the time,” he says with a laugh.
A slightly different way of working than you’re used to, perhaps?
“At the beginning it was a bit difficult, but now I’ve gotten used to it. I told them to just tell me how they want things done, and we’ll do the best we can. But then they said that I decide, and after that we had five or six meetings where they asked if we couldn’t do things differently instead. And then that’s how it turned out.”
This time, it certainly worked. Bahrain defeated Qatar in the final after dramatic extra time.
“We took a three- or four-goal lead and held it for quite a while, but then they came closer and closer. We missed a penalty with 30 seconds left, and then they went up the court and equalised. The mood in the team was really low, and when I looked the players in the eyes, it seemed like they didn’t believe we had a chance in extra time. But we pulled through, and many people were deeply moved.
“The federation president even cried. And the players were ecstatic.”
Photo: Private
How big is this for Bahrain as a handball nation?
“Qatar have been outstanding, so this is both huge and special. Half an hour before I was supposed to fly home, people from the federation came and tried to convince me to stay because we were going to meet the king on Monday. But I told them it wasn’t possible,” he says, laughing.
So you’re the king of Bahrain now?
“I might survive for another month or so…”
Robert Hedin has a two-year contract with Bahrain, but says that both he and the federation can terminate it with two months’ notice. The Swede says he is enjoying his job in the handball-loving nation of Bahrain.
“Handball is one of the biggest sports here, I think only football is bigger. It’s a fairly small country with just one and a half million inhabitants, but we had two TV crews covering the championship. That alone says something about the level of interest.”
Impressed by the federation
Hedin resigned from his position as head coach of the United States national team under much-publicised circumstances. The 59-year-old says the organisation within the Bahraini federation is entirely different from what he experienced in the US.
“The organisation here is absolutely fantastic. They have their own league, a national arena, and really excellent working conditions,” he emphasises.
If Bahrain qualify for the World Championship next year, Robert Hedin is likely to be on the bench during the tournament. Or?
“You could certainly have a worse start to a new job, so I think I’ll make it to the World Championship at least. Things like this can change in five minutes—but I’m very happy with the start,” Robert Hedin concludes.