HC Alkaloid held its first training session of 2025, with all players and the full staff in attendance.

Many of our club members, both in terms of players and staff, were part of the Macedonian national team that competed in last month’s 29th World Championship. After a short break for the national team members, they are now back to focus on their club duties. A new addition to HC Alkaloid is central back Martin Ivanovski, who is starting his tasks under the guidance of coach Kiril Lazarov.

February will be a month full of challenges for HC Alkaloid. This weekend, the season resumes in the Macedonian Super League, with six more rounds left to play in the first phase of the championship.

After 16 rounds, HC Alkaloid is at the top of the table with a strong chance of finishing the season as champions and entering the Playoff stage with a solid advantage.

On the European front, HC Alkaloid will compete in the Round of 16 matches of the EHF European Cup this month. On February 15, they will travel to Brixen, Italy, and on February 22, they will host the return leg in Skopje’s Avtokomanda arena. HC Alkaloid has a strong chance of advancing to the quarterfinals of this prestigious European competition, potentially taking another step toward achieving the club’s greatest success in Europe.

The Macedonian senior national team delivered a strong performance at the 29th World Championship held in Croatia, Norway, and Denmark.

Our national team finished among the world’s top 16, securing 15th place, and once again captured the hearts of handball fans with their relentless fighting spirit, uncompromising mentality, improved quality of play, and a more modern approach to the game.

Macedonia notched two wins, two draws, and two losses at the World Championship. We triumphed over Guinea (29-20) and Qatar (39-34), while holding favoured Hungary (27-27) and Austria (29-29) to draws. The only matches where we failed to pick up points were a somewhat controversial defeat to the Netherlands (32-37) and a loss to the world’s Top 4 national team, France (25-32).

The Macedonian national team played consistently at a high level throughout all six matches, showing significant improvement compared to previous tournaments. This was a clear sign that this almost completely revamped and youthful squad, led by head coach Kiril Lazarov and his experienced staff, is on the rise and already achieving top results.

HC Alkaloid, as a handball project focused on giving Macedonian players the chance to progress and develop into elite athletes through high-quality training and competition, played a key role in this overall success.

HC Alkaloid’s head coach, Kiril Lazarov, along with his assistants Biljana Crvenkoska and Ninoslav Pavelikj, fitness coach Petar Basnarkov, and physiotherapist Toshe Trajkovski, were all part of the coaching staff for the Macedonian national team.

Among the 18 players who took the court in the six matches of World Championship preliminary and main rounds were HC Alkaloid athletes: Marko Kizikj, Ivan Galevski, Ivan Djonov, Marko Mitev, Igor Gjorgiev, Martin Serafimov, Martin Velkovski, Aleksandar Petkovski, Nikola Markoski, Marko Stojkovikj, and Valentin Karasmanakis. HC Alkaloid takes great pride in these 11 players, who each, in their own way, represented the Macedonian national team with unwavering dedication. Their contributions, both on and off the court, played a major role in the team’s success and in promoting Macedonia with pride on the global handball stage.

Three Macedonian national team players from HC Alkaloid and HC Multi Essence have been selected by the European Handball Federation to join the Respect Your Talent project – Class of 2024.

A total of 30 young handball players, who made a lasting impression at the M18 EHF Euro held in Montenegro this summer and were named Player of the Match, were invited to participate in the annual camp in Vienna. At the camp, they had the opportunity to learn and engage in off-the-court discussions with EHF handball ambassadors, including renowned former players Hans Lindberg (Denmark), Ljubomir Vranjes (Sweden), Vid Kavticnik (Slovenia), and Carlos Prieto (Spain).

Players Damjan Mitev, Marin Krstevski, and Gjorgji Nikolovski were the Macedonian representatives at this event.

The selected players discussed key topics with the famous ambassadors including nutrition, social media, anti-doping, dual careers, psychological exercises, and sports laws.

For each subject, the ambassadors had a dedicated expert by their side, who ensured every aspect was professionally analyzed and thoroughly explored.

“I definitely want to reach the top. I know it’s a tough task, but there’s time, and I believe we’re on the right path. The sky’s the limit, and with the advice we’ve received from the ambassadors, anything is possible. They shared their story with us, and that will be very helpful in the future,” said Marin Krstevski.

Photos: Uros Hocevar/Kolektiff