Niclas Kirkeløkke
| Niclas Kirkeløkke | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Kirkeløkke at BUGA 2023 in Mannheim | |||
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Niclas Vest Kirkeløkke | ||
| Born |
26 March 1994 Ringe, Denmark | ||
| Height | 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) | ||
| Playing position | Right back | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | SG Flensburg-Handewitt | ||
| Number | 5 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Years | Team | ||
–2005 | Risøhøj Håndbold | ||
2005–2012 | GOG Håndbold | ||
| Senior clubs | |||
| Years | Team | ||
2012–2019 | GOG Håndbold | ||
2019–2024 | Rhein-Neckar Löwen | ||
2024–2027 | SG Flensburg-Handewitt | ||
2027– | Fredericia HK | ||
| National team 1 | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2016– | Denmark | 118 | (217) |
|
1 National team caps and goals correct as of 2 February 2026 | |||
Niclas Vest Kirkeløkke (born 26 March 1994) is a Danish handball player for SG Flensburg-Handewitt and the Danish national team.[1] He primarily plays right back but has also been deployed as a right winger for the national team.[2] This shift is largely due to his strong defensive skills in the right back position and to accommodate Mathias Gidsel on the right back position.
Career
Kirkeløkke began his handball career in Risøhøj Håndbold at the U6 age group, before making the move to GOG at the age of 11.[3]
In 2012, he was promoted to the senior team of GOG, then playing in the second tier, the 1st Division. He participated in the 2013 Men's Youth World Handball Championship, where Denmark won the tournament by beating Croatia in the final, and he was named to the all-star team.[4]
He debuted for the Danish national team on 3 November 2016 against the Netherlands. Two months later, he played in his first major international tournament, the 2017 World Men's Handball Championship.[5]
In 2018, he joined German club Rhein-Neckar Löwen.[6] In May 2021, he extended his contract with the club.[7] With Rhein-Neckar Löwen, he won the 2022–23 DHB-Pokal.
In 2023, he was part of the Danish team that won the 2023 World Championship.[8]
For the 2024–25 season, he joined league rivals SG Flensburg-Handewitt on a three-year deal.[9]
In 2025, he won the World Championship for the second time with Denmark.[10]
At the 2026 European Men's Handball Championship he won gold medals, meaning that Denmark held both the World, European and Olympic titles at the same time, as only the second team ever after France's 'Les Experts'.[11]
Individual awards
- All-Star Right back of the Youth World Championship: 2013
Personal life
Kirkeløkke is the son of Gun-Britt Kirkeløkke, who played many matches for the youth and junior national teams in the early 1980s. Gun-Britt's twin sister, Gun-Maj Kirkeløkke, also played 25 A-national matches from 1985 to 1987.[12] His sister, Sarah Kirkeløkke, is also a professional handball player.
References
- ^ "Niclas Kirkeløkke". Eurohandball.
- ^ Sørensen, Morten (14 January 2024). "Forsvarsekspert skubber udlærte fløjspillere ud af landsholdet". avisendanmark.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 30 August 2024.
- ^ "Ann-Sofie gør noget for fællesskabet: Risøhøj er en håndboldklub for alle". ugeavisen.dk (in Danish). 17 February 2021. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
- ^ "Danish Dynamite light also in the final". IHF. 23 August 2013. Archived from the original on 15 April 2014. Retrieved 23 August 2013.
- ^ "25th Men's World Championship 2017" (PDF). ihf.info. International Handball Federation. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
- ^ "Officielt: Kirkeløkke skifter til tysk topklub" [Official: Kirkeløkke transfers to German top club] (in Danish). TV2 Denmark. 28 November 2017. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
- ^ "Niclas Kirkeløkke forlænger sin kontrakt i Rhein-Neckar Löwen" [Niclas Kirkeløkke extends his contract in Rhein-Neckar Löwen] (in Danish). hbold.dk. 6 May 2021. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
- ^ "Denmark write history with otherworldly three-peat". ihf.info. International Handball Federation. 29 January 2023. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
- ^ "Niclas Kirkeløkke verlässt die Rhein-Neckar Löwen im Sommer" [Niclas Kirkeløkke leaves Rhein-Neckar Löwen in the summer] (in German). handball-world.news. Archived from the original on 13 February 2025. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
- ^ "Denmark clinch fourth world title in thrilling final". ihf.info. International Handball Federation. 2 February 2025. Retrieved 2 February 2025.
- ^ "Euro 2026 Final - Match Report". European Handball Federation. 1 February 2026. Retrieved 1 February 2026.
- ^ "Ann-Sofie gør noget for fællesskabet: Risøhøj er en håndboldklub for alle". ugeavisen.dk (in Danish). 17 February 2021. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
External links
- Niclas Kirkeløkke at the International Handball Federation (archived)
- Niclas Kirkeløkke at the European Handball Federation
- Niclas Kirkeløkke at Olympedia
- Niclas Kirkeløkke at InterSportStats