Mathias Gidsel demolished his competition as he got praised as IHF Best Male Player of the Year. In the female category Henny Reistad won the award with two thirds of the votes going her way. The prize for best youth player went to Elias Ellefsen á Skipagøtu and Lena Grandveau.
2023 marked the return of the usual IHF World Player of the Year awards, recognizing the best female and male players of the year. New for this year was the addition of the award for the best youth player.
Mathias Gidsels became the third Danish player to ever receive the award. Mikkel Hansen won it three times, in 2011, 2015, and 2018, while Niklas Landin won in 2019 and 2021. This further enriches the 25-year-old’s already impressive trophy cabinet, which includes two World Championships gold medals, one Olympic silver medal, and two medals in the Euros aswell as double MVP awards and multiple all-star team selections.
Ludovic Fabregas secured second place in the voting, with Andreas Wolff coming in third.
In the female category, Henny Reistad claimed the award. The 25-year-old Norwegian also holds an impressive trophy cabinet, having secured silver in the World Championship and being named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. Estelle Nze Minko came in second in the voting, with Linn Blohm finishing last.
The youth categories were won by Elias Ellefsen á Skipagøtu and Lena Grandveau. The latter helped her team secure gold at last year’s World Championship whilst Ellefsen á Skipagøtu was selected all-star on his position after a stellar performance during the Men’s Junior World Championship.