CARLSBOGARD Jonathan

General
DEFENSIVE PARTNERSHIP
He says he developed a strong defensive partnership with national teammate Max Darj during Sweden's run to the final of the 2021 World Championship in Egypt. "Before the championship we divided into different groups, and in the defence group we [Max and I] went through our strengths and weaknesses. Then we had reviews where we would work on details and how we want to play. During that time, I think we really adapted to each other. We try to control each other so that our strengths emerge in as many situations as possible. Our communication has also been helped by the fact that it is so quiet in the arena [due to COVID-19], and we can talk to each other. There are mistakes from time to time, but we have minimised them in an extremely positive way." (handbollskanalen.se, 30 Jan 2021)

CHOOSING HANDBALL OVER FOOTBALL
He grew up playing both handball and football for his local club Karra HF in Sweden, but chose to focus on handball at age 17. "I felt that I was a little better at handball, and there was something special about the community and the joy we had in the team. Karra at handball was a little better than Karra at football as well, so we went a little further in the tournaments and took more medals and so on, so the choice fell on handball. These days, you should decide earlier, for sure, as it can take a little longer to get to the next level. But at the time it was worth prioritising two sports." (expressen.se, 30 Jan 2021; aftonbladet.se, 31 Jan 2021)

HANDBALL HOTBED
He says he benefitted from growing up in the Karra region of Gothenburg, Sweden, which developed a generation of handball players including himself, Mikaela Massing and Jesper Konradsson. "I think it's a good place to grow up. There were many in each year group who played handball, and that means that the training was good quality, and you got to play a lot of matches. We also had very good leaders with incredible determination. Exactly what it is, I can not put my finger on, but it's something special." (expressen.se, 30 Jan 2021)