Soaring High with the Rising Star - Julian Köster

Julian Köster delivered one of THE sports moments of 2024. There were six seconds left to play in the Olympic quarterfinal between the French and German handball teams. Germany was all but eliminated, and France had possession. It was impossible to get back into the game. Or so it seemed. The French team took the throw-in, and the ball flew in a high arc from one player to the next. But then Julian Köster, the two-meter-tall player, soared into the air and snatched the ball! With four seconds left, Köster decided to pass to his unmarked teammate Uscins, who took the shot exactly 59 minutes and 59 seconds into the game, scored at the last second, and thus saved Germany by sending the game into overtime. In the end, Germany not only won the game but also claimed the Olympic silver medal with Julian Köster.

At just 24 years old, the Gummersbach native is already a key player—both on the national team and for VfL Gummersbach. In this interview, he explains how he made it to the top of the handball world and how he manages to stay calm at all times through personalized recovery methods and routines.

From Second-Division Player to the National Team

His athletic resume already reads like a picture-perfect career. Born in Bielefeld, he progressed through all the youth teams at TSV Bayer Dormagen’s talent development program before transferring to the prestigious VfL Gummersbach—once one of Germany’s biggest handball clubs—for the 2020–2021 season. Julian didn’t need much time to settle in. In his first season in the second Bundesliga, he was named to the national team and celebrated promotion to the top tier of German handball—the best league in the world. “Just nine months after my transfer, I received an invitation to the senior national team, for which I was able to make my debut. I was then also named to the European Championship squad. Back then, as a second-division player, that was a huge adjustment for me, especially when it came to the intense media attention. I got to experience a lot of new things. After that came promotion to the 1. Bundesliga with Gummersbach, and I was named captain—which is a great role at such a storied club. Being able to take on this responsibility at such a young age isn’t something to be taken for granted.”

Staying Cool Under Pressure

Starting this season, he’s also leading the team as captain on the international stage in the European League. Köster is an absolute key player for his team. And he keeps a cool head during the decisive moments: “I generally try to approach the game calmly and with focus. Emotions are a very important part of our sport—they’re what make handball what it is, and it wouldn’t work without them. But you have to control your emotions. If they get the better of you, you can’t make good decisions during the game—decisions that are especially crucial in crunch time. I try not to let anything rattle me during those moments.”

A Childhood Dream: the Olympics

One word is enough to make Julian’s eyes light up: the Olympics. In the summer of 2024, he competed in his first Olympic Games in Paris. In the quarterfinals against France—despite 27,000 frenetically cheering fans, all rooting for the host country—he stayed composed and kept his cool. Even when no one believed Germany could make a comeback. “I was already thrilled before the tournament that we’d made it through qualifying—which wasn’t easy. Then, experiencing the magnitude of this event in the Olympic Village and seeing the sheer number of athletes was impressive. That’s when I first realized the full scope of it all. A big childhood dream of mine has come true. We capped off our tournament with the silver medal; we’ll always have very fond memories of it, which makes it all the more wonderful.”

Powerful Comeback

After his athletic highlight in the summer, Köster suffered a setback in September. During a Bundesliga match, he tore the medial collateral ligament in his knee and was sidelined for an extended period. But he put a lot of hard work into his subsequent rehab and fought his way back. “I’m doing very well; I feel great physically and have played in many games since then. I’m completely pain-free, which is the most important thing. I’m really getting into a rhythm.” In both strength and athletic training, he was able to incorporate key exercise routines that target and warm up his muscles right from the warm-up, ensuring his knee is optimally stabilized. “I use the LOOP BANDS in my warm-up. I use the FASCIAL ROLLER every day—not just for classic rolling, but especially during training to correct form during stabilization exercises. These are great tools.” After strenuous games and training sessions, the COMPRESSION BOOTS are also a must.

Recovery Is Key

The constant travel between league games, the DHB Cup, the European League, and the national team takes a huge toll. “Recovery is the main focus here. I’m a big fan of active recovery—depending on the previous day’s game, I’ll do a more intense strength training session. Because of the packed schedule, I only have time for that the day after the game, since the next one is right around the corner otherwise. To unwind, I like to go for walks outside and meet up with friends. On game days, I do yoga in the morning—at least I think it’s yoga (laughs)—to loosen everything up a bit. Even after intense weeks, this really helps me relax and relieve tension.”

His daily routines are also important to Julian. In the morning after getting up, he always makes his bed and makes sure to eat a balanced diet, get restful sleep, and engage in active recovery. He does everything he can to prepare himself as best as possible for his next big goal.

World Championship in January

In January 2025, the Men’s Handball World Championship will take place from January 14 to February 2 in Croatia, Denmark, and Norway. Köster is a key pillar of the DHB team’s roster and has big plans for the squad.

“Our goal for the tournament is to build on the national team’s strong and successful 2024 season. We want to go on the offensive again!”

Although Julian can already look back on several successes despite his young age, he’s focused firmly on the future. “There are so many goals I want to achieve. The Olympics were my first medal with the national team, and I hope there will be many more to come. A gold medal would be pretty nice, too (grins). That’s what I dream of. We also have big plans at the club level; so far, my only title there is second-division champion. I hope we can add a few more successes to that.”

So this likable key player continues to do everything he can to stay on the path to success and maintain his top form.