Ola Lindgren Explained

Ola Lindgren
Fullname:Per Ola Markus Lindgren
Birth Date:1964 2, df=y
Birth Place:Halmstad, Sweden
Position:Left back
Years1:1981–1990
Clubs1: HK Drott
Years2:1990–1992
Clubs2: TSV Dutenhofen
Years3:1992–1995
Clubs3: HK Drott
Years4:1995–1998
Clubs4: HSG Düsseldorf
Years5:1998–2003
Clubs5: HSG Nordhorn
Nationalyears1:1986-2003
Nationalteam1:Sweden
Nationalcaps1:376
Nationalgoals1:482
Manageryears1:1996–1998
Managerclubs1: HSG Düsseldorf
Manageryears2:2003–2009
Managerclubs2: HSG Nordhorn
Manageryears3:2008–2016
Managerclubs3: Sweden (with Staffan Olsson)
Manageryears4:2009–2010
Managerclubs4: Rhein Neckar-Löwen
Manageryears5:2012–2019
Managerclubs5: IFK Kristianstad
Manageryears6:2019–
Managerclubs6: Finland
Manageryears7:2019–2020
Managerclubs7: Al Ahly

Per Ola Markus Lindgren (born 29 February 1964) is a Swedish former handball player and current coach. He has been the head coach for IFK Kristianstad since 2012 and was the head coach for Sweden from 2008 to 2016. As a player, he won two World Championships, four European Championships and participated in four Olympic Games. He also won four Swedish Championships with Drott.

Club career

Lindgren made his debut for Drott in 1981. He won Swedish Championships with the club in 1984, 1988 and 1990. In 1990 he joined German club TSV Dutenhofen but returned to Drott in 1992. He won a fourth Swedish Championship with Drott in 1994. He later played for German clubs HSG Düsseldorf from 1995 to 1998 and HSG Nordhorn from 1998 to 2003.

International career

In 1988 he was a member of the Swedish handball team which finished fifth in the Olympic tournament. He played all six matches and scored ten goals. Two years later he was part of the team that won the World Championship, playing all seven matches and scoring 13 goals. He was part of the Swedish team which won the silver medal at the 1992 Olympics. He played all seven matches and scored twelve goals. At the 1993 World Championship, he was a member of the Swedish team that captured a bronze medal. He played six matches in the tournament and scored 15 goals. In 1994, he was part of the Swedish squad that won the inaugural European Championship. In 1996 he won his second Olympic silver medal with the Swedish team. He played six matches and scored three goals. He also won a silver medal at the 1997 World Championship. In 1998 he was part of the Swedish team that won their second European Championship. A year later, he won his second World Championship. In 2000, he was a member of the Swedish team that won their second consecutive European Championship. He made his last Olympic appearance in the same year when he won his third consecutive silver medal with the Swedish team. He played all eight matches and scored four goals. In 2001, he was part of the Swedish squad that won silver at the World Championship. He won his last international medal in 2002 as Sweden won their third consecutive European Championship.

Coaching career

Lindgren started his coaching career as a player-coach for HSG Düsseldorf between 1996 and 1998. He coached HSG Nordhorn from 2003 to 2009 and won the 2007–08 EHF Cup with the club. He coached Rhein Neckar-Löwen from 2009 to 2010. In addition to his club coaching career, he was an assistant coach for Sweden from 2007 to 2008 and head coach from 2008 to 2016. During this time, Sweden reached the semi-finals of the 2011 World Championship and the final of the 2012 Summer Olympics. He became coach of Kristianstad in 2012 and won three consecutive Swedish Championships with the club from 2015 to 2017.