Claes Hellgren
| Claes Hellgren | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Claes Hellgren, 1988. | |||
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Claes Göran Vilhelm Hellgren | ||
| Born |
27 February 1955 Norrköping, Sweden | ||
| Nationality |
 Sweden | ||
| Playing position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Senior clubs | |||
| Years | Team | ||
1972–1974 | Irsta HF | ||
1974–1978 | IF Guif | ||
1978–1983 | IK Heim | ||
1983–1985 | Coronas Tres de Mayo | ||
1985–1986 | HP Warta | ||
1987–1990 | Irsta HF | ||
1990–1991 | Stavanger IF | ||
1990–1991 | Sushi Masters | ||
| National team | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1976-1988 |
Sweden | 214 | (3) |
| Teams managed | |||
1986-1987 | USA women's team | ||
1987-1990 | Irsta HF | ||
1988-1989 | Sweden U21 | ||
1990-1992 | Stavanger IF | ||
1992-1994 | Irsta HF | ||
1994-1996 | USA teams (both men's and women's) | ||
1996-1999 | Sweden women's team | ||
1999-2001 | IF Guif | ||
Claes Hellgren (born 27 February 1955 in Norrköping, Sweden) is a Swedish former handball player who played as goalkeeper, sports commentator and handball coach.
He is the son of Swedish Swimmer Rune Sigfrid Hellgren.
Claus Heelgren started playing for Irsta HFs first team in the Division 3, the third tier in the 1972/73 season. After two seasons he moved to IF Guif, where in his first season was promoted to the Swedish top flight. In 4 seasons Heelgren spent at the club they ended in the playoff once, where they lost in the semifinal to Soik Hellas.
Afterward he moved to IK Heim, where he reached playoffs in 4 out of 5 seasons with the club, and became Swedish champions in 1982 and 1983.[1] They also reached the semifinal of the Cup Winners' Cup in 1978/80 where they lost to CB Calpisa Alicante.
In the 1983 summer he and Björn Jilsén became the two first Swedish players to join a foreign club, when they moved to Tenerife to join Coronas Tres de Mayo[1], á relatively newly created club that was about to play its fist season in the top flight. They finished 6 and Hellgreen was awarded with the player of the season award
After two seasons in Spain he returned to Sweden and joined the Swedish team HP Warta, where they reached the semifinal of the 1986 Championship playoffs. In the 1986/87 seasons the active career was put on a burner, to go into coaching where he was coaching the USA women's team.
From 1987-1990 he became the player-coach og his former club Irsta HF. In his third season at the club, they managed to be promoted to the top league. In the first season in the top flight, they managed to finish 4th.
In the last years of his active career, he played as a player coach for Norwegian side Stavanger IF.
In both 1984 and in 1985 he won the award for world's best goalkeeper.[1]
National team career
[edit]Hellgren debuted in a 19-16 win against Switzerland on September 10th 1976. He played for the national team for 12 years, where he competed in the 1984 Summer Olympics and in the 1988 Summer Olympics.[2] He also participated in the World Championship 3 times; in 1978, 1982 and 1986.
For a long time he held the record for most caps for the Swedish national team, but was eventually overtaken, and he was the first Swedish player to achieve 200 international matches.[1]
Coaching Career
[edit]Hellgren had slowly become a more classical coach when he played less and less for Stavanger IF. He took over the USA women's team. In his first touranment, the Pan American Games, he managed to win the tournament.
He took over his former club Irsta IF, where he didn't manage to bring them to the playoffs.
Between 1994 and 1996 Hellgren became the coach of both the US men's and women's teams. This was in the lead up to Atlanta 1996.[1] At the 1995 women's World cup USA ended at 17th out of 20. At the Olympics games the team would finish last out of 8 participants. On the men's side he would lead them to a 17th place out of 20 and at the Olympics a 9th out of 12th.
After wards he took over the Swedish women's team between 1996 and 1999.[1] At the EHF European Championship he finnished 8th out of 12, but fail to qualify for the World Cup in both 1997 and 1999.
In 1998 he returned to club handball and became the coach of IF Guif. They gained promotion to the top flight in 1999, and the season after they were in the playoffs as a newly promoted team.
After his tenure at at IF Guif, he focused specifically on goalkeeper coaching at various clubs and national teams, and on individual coaching.
Additionally Hellgren has worked a teacher in math, biology and p.e.
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f "Claes Hellgren - Uppslagsverk". www.ne.se. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
- ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Claes Hellgren". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 15 July 2012.
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