Birgitte Wilbek
Birgitte Wilbek (née Harms 28 November 1928 in Hørsholm, Denmark) is a Danish handball and basketball player, who represented Denmark on both national teams.
Playing career
[edit]Wilbek started her trajectory in sports by doing gymnastics at Frederiksberg IF, starting in 1943.[1] As sports seasons at the time were not full year activities, she started playing handball in the winter to complement the mostly summer gymnastics.[1]
In 1946 she was involved in creating the basketball department at FIF.[1]
Wilbek was included in the Denmark women's national basketball team 14 times and participated in two European Championships in 1954 and 1956.[1]
In handball she played all 32 national team matches between 1949 and 1957.[2] She won the Danish Championship with Frederiksberg IF in 1956. She retired after the inaugaral World Women's Handball Championship in 1957.[1]
From 1963 to 1965 she was the head coach of the Danish women's handball team together with Else Birkmose. They were the first women to hold this position.[3]
Civil career
[edit]Wilbek was educated as a teacher at Blågård Seminarium in 1953. She later worked at Trongårdsskolen in Lyngby, near Copenhagen. In 1979 she became the principal at the school.
In 1964 she was co-founded of the athletics club Trongårdens Idrætsforening.[4] In 1971 she was awarded Lyngby-Taarbæk Municipality's sports award for her engagement in the club.[4]
Beteen 1985 and 1991 Wilbek was part of the board at Team Danmark.[4] In the 1960's She was on the board of the Dansk Idræts-Forbund, where she drew attention to the lack of women's representation in the organisation.[1]
Private life
[edit]She was married to Erik Wilbek, Danish men's national basketball team player. Their son Ulrik Wilbek would, like his mother go on to be both the head coach of the Danish women's handball team and be on the Team Danmark board.[1] Their niece, Lise Wilbek, is a track and field athlete and was Danish champion at both 100 and 200 m sprints in 1977.[5] In 1983 Birgitte Wilbek married Svend Oluf Hansen.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h "Birgitte Wilbek". Kvindebiografisk Leksikon. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
- ^ "Kvinde A-landsholdspillere - Birgitte Wilbek". haslund.info. Retrieved 23 February 2025.
- ^ "DHF valgte kvindetrænere fra: Vi skal ikke sende signaler" (in Danish). Midtjyllands Avis. 2 March 2020. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
- ^ a b c "Historie" (in Danish). Trongårdens Idrætsforening. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
- ^ "Lise Wilbek" (in Danish). Statletik. Retrieved 23 February 2025.