Gauthier Mvumbi

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Gauthier Mvumbi
Personal information
Born (1994-05-15) 15 May 1994 (age 27)
France
Height 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in)
National team
Years Team (Gls)
 DR Congo (2021) (20)

Gauthier Mvumbi (born 15 May 1994)[1] is a French handball player born to immigrants from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo). He plays at the pivot position and represented the DR Congo on its men's national handball team during the 2021 World Men's Handball Championship. Due to his massive size and skill, he became a viral video sensation at the world championship, where he was referred to as the "Shaq of Handball" and the "Congo Colossus".

Early years and size[]

Mvumbi was born in 1994 in France.[1] His parents emigrated from Kinshasa and settled in Dreux where Mvumbi grew up.[2] He began playing handball with friends in 2007. He was a basketball fan growing up, and he cited Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Shaquille O'Neal as his idols. Asked what distinguishes him, Mvumbi pointed to "my physique and my efficiency ... My strengths are my strength and my speed for shorter distances."[3]

Mvumbi is officially listed as being 1.92 meters (6.29 feet) tall and officially weighing 110 kilograms (242 pounds),[1][4] though other sources indicate that his weight has been understated.[5] Some reports placed his weight during the 2021 world championship at 137 kilos (302 pounds).[3][6][7]

Prior to the 2021 world championship, Mvumbi played for Dreux AC in Nationale 2, a lower division of France's Ligue Nationale de Handball.[3] Mvumbi previously played six seasons with Vernouillet in Nationale 1, but he returned to his hometown of Dreux in the summer of 2020, where he lived with his parents.[2][8]

2021 World Championship[]

DR Congo qualified for the World Men's Handball Championship for the first time in 2021. Mvumbi was the team's breakout star, playing at midfield. He scored four goals against Argentina and another four goals against 2021 world champion Denmark, despite being double teamed.[9] He totaled 20 goals on 23 finishes and was named the most valuable player in two of DR Congo's matches. His line play during the world championships was described "almost unstoppable". In a wave of notoriety resulting from his performance at the 2021 World Men's Handball Championship, he granted 30 interviews to news outlets around the world.[3] His Instagram account grew from 225 subscribers to 27,000 during two weeks of competition at the national championship.[10]

Due to his "massive appearance", he was compared during the world championship to basketball player, Shaquille O'Neal, and referred to as the "Shaq of handball".[5] After DR Congo's match with Argentina, O'Neal posted a video greeting to Mvumbi on his Instagram account.[9] The two spoke by phone during the national championship with O'Neal calling Mvumbi his little brother.[10]

Mvumbi has also been referred to as the "Congo Colossus" and "El Gigante".[5] In January 2021, Handball Planet called him "the most popular handball player on the Earth".[11]

After the world championship, Mvumbi acknowledged that he had become a symbol of an athlete who proves it can be done despite being overweight. He noted that he received many touching messages from people who struggled with weight problems and tried to respond to each one.[10]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Gauthier Mvumbi Thierry". International Handball Federation. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b "Gauthier Mvumbi, star sous toutes ses formes". Africa News. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Fredrik Andersson (4 February 2021). "Mvumbi blev viral under VM: "Tro på dina drömmar"". Aftonbladet.
  4. ^ "Gauthier Mvumbi". Eurosport. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Gauthier Mvumbi: The "Shaq of handball" and secret World Cup star". DE24 News. 19 January 2021.
  6. ^ "Gauthier Mvumbi, 137 kilos and new star of the World Cup". Archyde. 19 January 2021.
  7. ^ "Gauthier Mvumbi, 137 kg for 1m95, caused a sensation at the handball world". Today 24 News. 25 January 2021.
  8. ^ "Le Congolais Gauthier Mvumbi, star inattendue du Mondial de handball". France 24. 19 January 2021.
  9. ^ Jump up to: a b Ken Browne (17 January 2021). "Viral handball sensation Mvumbi scores 4 against Olympic champs, gets shout-out from Shaq". Olympic Channel.
  10. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Le Drouais Gauthier Mvumbi revient sur son incroyable buzz avec la star Shaquille O'Neal au Mondial". L'Echo Republicain. 1 February 2021.
  11. ^ "Gauthier Mvumbi lives his dream: I played the first match and it was boom"". Handball Planet. 20 January 2021.
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