He still doesn’t know what hit him. And he finds it hard to fully describe how it felt. But something was completely wrong with Thomas Arnoldsen.
Østjyden, who can become Danish handball’s next star name, made his debut last spring on the A national team and was on the verge of a move to the big club Aalborg, when something happened to his body. Or head. Or both places.
– I really felt it at the end of last season in Skanderborg. When the body finally had to rest, it was as if it collapsed completely. As if the whole house of cards toppled over. At the beginning I just lay on the sofa and couldn’t do anything, says Thomas Arnoldsen.
It wasn’t just plain tiredness after a long season. Perhaps he paid the price for a very early breakthrough in Skanderborg’s league team, great responsibility and plenty of playing time. Year after year.
Maybe it ran deeper. He does not know. But he is convinced that it was a mistake to go with the U21 national team to the World Cup last summer.
– In retrospect, I should never have made it to the final round. I could play, but I couldn’t function. Socially, I was a completely different person. I couldn’t be myself, he explains.
– The youth national team has always been the place where I have found peace. Some of my best mates ran around on that team. My twin brother Frederik was also selected, so it was difficult to say no. But in that final round I didn’t feel well. I should have said that, says Thomas Arnoldsen.
Gradually it became clear that he had to pull the plug. Had to drop the start of the season in Aalborg, and had to postpone the meeting with the new teammates.
– I had come to a new club and a new city and had to meet new people. I just wanted to show what I can do. It was a difficult message to give to Aalborg, but when I was told it was nice, says Thomas Arnoldsen.
The agreement was that he should go on holiday. But he only felt that he was getting worse.
– Then the management in Aalborg was quick to say that I should have a break. No matter how long it would be. I could get all the help I needed, he says.
The break ended up being four months. He calls it “a tough period”.
He found that lying on the sofa only made him feel worse, so he kept busy until he finally made his debut for his new club in December.
But what it was that knocked his legs out from under him, he hasn’t become much wiser.
– I wish I could give an answer, but I simply don’t know. I can’t really come up with one thing where it went wrong. Whether it’s been stress related or exhaustion, I’m still figuring out.
– I don’t know if I’ll ever find the answer. I hope so. First of all, I am happy that it has gone in the right direction, says Thomas Arnoldsen.
He is back in the A national team, which meets Switzerland on Saturday. Like so many others in the handball world, national coach Nikolaj Jacobsen is enthusiastic about the young full-back.
– Well-thought-out, skilled defender, a playmaker who is also dangerous to score and who dares to go for goal when things get tough.
– He has come back well. There are some fluctuations, but that is natural when he has been out for a long time and is still young, says Nikolaj Jacobsen.
On the handball court, Arnoldsen feels back to full strength. But the downturn has left its mark on the soul.
– There are still things I struggle with. But I’ve learned how important it is to be 100 percent honest about how I feel.
– It’s not possible for me to go and feel bad. Then it’s better to talk to someone. Although it may well be a bit taboo for some, it is important to do it. The sports world is sometimes a tough world to be in, says Thomas Arnoldsen.
/ritzau/
2024-03-16 07:15:03
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