In the final match Sunday evening, Kometal defeated the Hungarian champion Herz FTC Budapest by 26:22. In the first match last week in Ferenzsvaros, Herz defeated Kometal by 27:25.

 

Goalkeeper Luminica Dinu and player Indira Kastratovic, who scored 10 goals, are to be given credit for the victory.

 

Representative of the European Handball Federation Frantishek Taborski presented the European Cup to Kometal captain Gordana Naceva.

 

Kometal is the 18th team that has won the European Champion title.

 

Besides Dinu, Kastratovic and Naceva, tonight Kometal also presented its players Oksana Ploscinska, Irina Kalinicenko, Anzela Platon, Mileva Velkova, Olga Bujanova, Mirjana Cupik, Andrija Budimir, Larisa Ferzalieva, Anja Andruscenko, Natalija Malahova and Elena Zlatonovska.

 

Herz was represented by Katerina Miklosova, Timea Sugar, Melinda Pastrovic, Olivija Kamper, Ildiko Padar, Erika Kirsner, Katerina Mavrikova, Margit Padar, Timea Tot, Veronika Kovac, Eszter Sziti, Dora Levi, Beatrix Benjac and Agnes Farkas.

 

The Gjorce Petrov team was established in 1961 and is nine-time Macedonian Champion (1993-2001) and nine-time winner of the Macedonian Cup (1993, 1995 - 2002). The biggest success of the European handball Champions league, Kometal reached in 2000, competing against Hipo in finals, as well as its placements in the quarterfinals in the Champions League in 1997 and 1998.

 

Herz is part of the Sports Association, established in 1899. This team has been a nine-time champion of Hungary and ten-time winner of the Hungarian Cup.

 

Some more remarkable successes at the European scene it achieved in 1971 as a vice-champion in the Cup of European Champions, recipient of the Winners' Cup in 1978 and two appearances in the finals in 1979, 1994 and 2002.

 

Sunday evening, Macedonian Prime Minister Ljubcho Georgievski sent a telegram of congratulations to the Kometal G.P. handball players, regarding their triumph at Sunday's match, when they won the title - European Champions in handball.

 

"We all celebrate tonight. The entire Macedonia celebrates. You made us very happy and proved you are real champions. You won the first place - the best female handball players in Europe. Of course, you are the only ones that could achieve such a triumph. We were all with you, expecting nothing but victory," reads the telegram.

 

The Macedonian Prime Minister congratulates the victory and the trophy of the Kometal G.P. handball players, recommending them "to keep making the Macedonian people happy by achieving new victories."

 

In his congratulation note, President Boris Trajkovski underlines that "the champion's trophy means success for all Macedonian citizens.

 

"In all past games you represented the country, its handball and sport with dignity," Trajkovski says thanking to the members of the team for "the joy you brought to us."

 

"On behalf of the Macedonian Parliament and mine, I congratulate to you the sport crown you have won. In an unseen battle you have defeated the renowned rival in the Champions' League Herz Ferencvaros and became European Champions," reads the note of Parliament Speaker Stojan Andov, sent to the players, the coach, the board and the owner of the club, Trifun Kostovski.

 

"During the game entire Macedonia was trembling and wished for the success. Today all together we celebrate the achieved dream and we wish this dream to last," reads the note sent by Andov to handball team Kometal Gjorce Petrov.

 

 

Glogovac - 19/05 - 1130 hrs. While conducting a range practice at Goles range, KFOR was overcome by a mass of local children trespassing and harassing them. After completing their task KFOR noticed one rifle had been stolen.

KFOR went back to camp to pick up an interpreter, and then went back to the above location and was met by three older locals who told them who had stolen the rifle and where the rifle was. The rifle was recovered and there were twenty rounds of ammunition missing. Ten rounds were recovered. Investigation continuing.