Gro Hammerseng

Infobox athlete biography
athletename = Gro Hammerseng


fullname =
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1980|04|10
cityofbirth = Gjøvik
countryofbirth = Norway
dateofdeath =
cityofdeath =
countryofdeath =
current position =
current team = Ikast-Bording Elite Håndbold
years with team =
specialty = Team Handball
previous teams = Vardal IF
Raufoss IL
Gjøvik og Vardal HK
years as player =
championships as player =
years as coach =
championships as coach =
height =
weight = 180cm / 5'11" [cite news |first= |last= |coauthors= |title=- Athlete Biography: Hammerseng, Gro |url= http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRM/ENG/BIO/Athlete/8/210928.shtml |work=Beijing 2008 |date= |language= |accessdate=2008-08-23 ]
personalbest = Olympic Gold in 2008 Beijing
Gold in 2004 Hungary and 2006 Sweden,
Silver in 2007 France
career = Athlete
updated =

Gro Hammerseng (born April 10 1980 in Gjøvik) is a Norwegian handball player. She is currently the captain of the Norway women's national handball team, and plays club handball for Danish club Ikast-Bording.

She started her club career in now-defunct Vardal, and later played for Raufoss and Gjøvik og Vardal.

She made her national team debut in 2000. She has led Norway to two consecutive victories in the European Women's Handball Championship, in 2004 [cite news |first=Nina |last=Berglund |coauthors= |title='Handball girls' party all night |url= http://www.aftenposten.no/english/sports/article934185.ece |work=Aftenposten |date=20 December 2004 |language= |accessdate=2008-08-24 ] and 2006, [cite news |first= |last= |coauthors= |title='Handball girls' relish European Championship |url= http://www.aftenposten.no/english/sports/article1574222.ece |work=Aftenposten |date=18 December 2006 |language= |accessdate=2008-08-24 ] being voted the tournament's most valuable player both times. [cite news |first= |last= |coauthors= |title=Athletes: Gro Hammerseng |url= http://www.nbcolympics.com/athletes/athlete=763/bio/ |work=NBC |date= |language= |accessdate=2008-08-24 ] As of 23 August 2008, she has played 147 games for Norway, scoring 585 goals. [Handball.no: [http://www.handball.no/Lprofiler.asp?LagId=6014&ProfilId=3349 Gro Hammerseng] no icon]

She is in a long-term relationship with fellow Ikast and Norway player Katja Nyberg. [cite news |first=Gro |last=Strømsheim |coauthors=Sigve Kvamme |title=- Ja, vi er kjærester |url= http://www.dagbladet.no/sport/2005/10/23/447220.html |work=Dagbladet |date=23 October 2005 |language=Norwegian |accessdate=2008-02-13 ]

In the lead-up to the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics Hammerseng joined other Norwegian athletes in an Amnesty International campaign for human rights in the People's Republic of China. [ [http://www.aftenposten.no/english/article2374995.ece Norwegian athletes get legal advice on protest rights] , Aftenposten, 17 April 2008]

She was voted World Handball Player of the Year 2007 by the readers of the World Handball Magazine and the International Handball Federation web site visitors. [cite news |first= |last= |coauthors= |title=2007 World Handball Players Of The Year: Gro Hammerseng (NOR) + Nikola Karabatic (FRA) |url= http://www.ihf.info/front_content.php?idcat=269&idart=1471 |work=International Handball Federation |date=7 August 2008 |language= |accessdate=2008-08-24 ]

Hammerseng was the captain of the Norway women's national handball team that won the 2008 Summer Olympics Women's Handball tournament. [cite news |first= |last= |coauthors= |title=- Olympic Gold for Norway - crushed Russia 34-27 |url= http://www.norwaypost.no/cgi-bin/norwaypost/imaker?id=186342 |work=Norway Post|date=23 August 2008 |language= |accessdate=2008-08-23 ] [cite news |first= |last= |coauthors= |title=- Women's Gold Medal Match - Match 42 / Norway vs Russian Fed. |url= http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRM/ENG/INF/HB/C73/HBW400101.shtml#HBW400101 |work=Beijing 2008 |date=23 August 2008 |language= |accessdate=2008-08-23 ]

Notes