Against Montenegro in London, they defended the gold from Beijing, it seemed then that they would continue their dominance in Rio de Janeiro, maybe in Tokyo, but the new gold for Norwegian handball players arrived 12 years later.
The giant from Scandinavia is the Olympic champion again - Torir Hergeirson's girls silenced the football stadium in Lille, "smashed" the home team France (29:21) and won the third Olympic gold.
In the previous two editions of the Olympic Games, Norway finished with a bronze medal, but now it triumphed in a direct duel with the champion from Tokyo.
It was also the most beautiful possible last dance of one of the best handball players in the world in the previous decade, the phenomenal Stina Oftedal.
Nothing in the first half of the final at the "Pierre Moreau" stadium foreshadowed a convincing victory for Norway, as both teams took turns in the lead, even France had a few goals advantage...
However, everything changed after the break - Oftedal, Kari Bratset, Nora Merk and their friends scattered around the field, the advantage was constantly growing, so long before the end it was clear who would "bite" the gold.
Bratset hit the home team's net six times, Oftedal five times, and Merk and Kamila Harem three each... The great Katrin Lunde recorded 12 saves and at the age of 44 reached another gold.
On the other side, Orlan Kanor was the most effective with five goals, while this final was also the last for the legendary coach of France, Olivier Krumboltz.
The bronze medal was won by Denmark, which defeated neighboring Sweden in the match for third place (30:25).
Bonus video:
