# Claes Hellgren > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Claes_Hellgren > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Claes_Hellgren.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claes_Hellgren > Source revision: 1345365820 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{short description|Swedish handball player (born 1955)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2025}} {{Infobox handball biography | name = Claes Hellgren | image = 250px | image_size = | alt = | caption = Claes Hellgren in 1988. | full_name = Claes Göran Vilhelm Hellgren | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1955|2|27|df=yes}} | birth_place = [Norrköping](/source/Norrk%C3%B6ping), Sweden | death_date = | death_place = | nationality = {{SWE}} | height = | position = Goalkeeper | currentclub = | clubnumber = | youthyears1 = | youthclubs1 = | years1 = 1972–1974 | clubs1 = Irsta HF | years2 = 1974–1978 | clubs2 = [IF Guif](/source/Eskilstuna_Guif) | years3 = 1978–1983 | clubs3 = [IK Heim](/source/IK_Heim) | years4 = 1983–1985 | clubs4 = [Coronas Tres de Mayo](/source/CDC_Tres_de_Mayo) | years5 = 1985–1986 | clubs5 = [HP Warta](/source/HP_Warta) | years6 = 1987–1990 | clubs6 = [Irsta HF](/source/Irsta_HF) | years7 = 1990–1991 | clubs7 = [Stavanger IF](/source/Stavanger_IF) | years8 = 1990–1991 | clubs8 = Sushi Masters | nationalyears1 = 1976–1988 | nationalteam1 = {{hb|Sweden}} | nationalcaps1 = 214 | nationalgoals1 = 3 | titleyears1 = | title1 = | titleplace1 = | manageryears1 = 1986–1987 | managerclubs1 = [United States (women)](/source/United_States_women's_national_handball_team) | manageryears2 = 1987–1990 | managerclubs2 = [Irsta HF](/source/Irsta_HF) | manageryears3 = 1988–1989 | managerclubs3 = Sweden U21 | manageryears4 = 1990–1992 | managerclubs4 = [Stavanger IF](/source/Stavanger_IF) | manageryears5 = 1992–1994 | managerclubs5 = Irsta HF | manageryears6 = 1994–1996 | managerclubs6 = [United States (men and women)](/source/United_States_men's_national_handball_team) | manageryears7 = 1996–1999 | managerclubs7 = [Sweden (women)](/source/Sweden_women's_national_handball_team) | manageryears8 = 1999–2001 | managerclubs8 = [IF Guif](/source/Eskilstuna_Guif) | show-medals = | medaltemplates = | module = | ntupdate = }} '''Claes Hellgren''' (born 27 February 1955) is a Swedish former [handball](/source/Team_handball) player who played as goalkeeper, sports commentator and handball coach. In 1979 he was named Swedish Handballer of the Year.{{cite web|url=https://svenskhandboll.se/nyheter/nyheter/2025-05-07-albin-lagergren-utses-till-arets-spelare|publisher=[Swedish Handball Federation](/source/Swedish_Handball_Federation)|title=Albin Lagergren utses till Årets spelare|date=7 May 2025|access-date=1 December 2025|language=sv}} ==Club career== Hellgren started playing for the [Irsta HF](/source/Irsta_HF) first team in the Division 3, the third tier in the 1972–73 season. After two seasons he moved to [IF Guif](/source/Eskilstuna_Guif), where in his first season was promoted to the Swedish top flight. In the four seasons Hellgren spent at the club they ended in the playoff once, where they lost in the semi-final to [SoIK Hellas](/source/SoIK_Hellas). Afterwards, he moved to [IK Heim](/source/IK_Heim), where he reached playoffs in four out of five seasons with the club, and became Swedish champions in 1982 and 1983.{{cite web|title=Claes Hellgren - Uppslagsverk|url=https://www.ne.se/uppslagsverk/encyklopedi/l%C3%A5ng/claes-hellgren|publisher=www.ne.se|accessdate=30 May 2021}} They also reached the semi-final of the [Cup Winners' Cup](/source/EHF_European_League) in 1978/80 where they lost to [CB Calpisa Alicante](/source/CB_Calpisa_Alicante). In the 1983 summer, he, together with [Björn Jilsén](/source/Bj%C3%B6rn_Jils%C3%A9n), became the two first Swedish players to join a foreign club, when they moved to [Tenerife](/source/Tenerife) to join [Coronas Tres de Mayo](/source/CDC_Tres_de_Mayo), a relatively newly created club that was about to play its fist season in the top flight. They finished 6th and Hellgren was awarded with the player of the season award. After two seasons in Spain, he returned to Sweden and joined the team [HP Warta](/source/HP_Warta), with which he reached the semi-final of the 1986 championship playoffs. In the 1986–87 season, the active career was put on a burner, to go into coaching where he was coaching the USA women's team. From 1987 to 1990 he became the [player-coach](/source/player-coach) og his former club Irsta HF. In his third season at the club, they managed to be promoted to the top league. In the first season in the top flight, they managed to finish 4th. In the last years of his active career, he played as a player coach for Norwegian side [Stavanger IF](/source/Stavanger_IF). In both 1984 and in 1985 he won the award for world's best goalkeeper. ==International career== Hellgren debuted in a 19–16 win against Switzerland on 10 September 1976. He played for the national team for 12 years, where he competed in the [1984 Summer Olympics](/source/1984_Summer_Olympics) and in the [1988 Summer Olympics](/source/1988_Summer_Olympics).{{cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/he/claes-hellgren-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417205638/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/he/claes-hellgren-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 April 2020 |accessdate=15 July 2012}} He also participated in the World Championship 3 times; in [1978](/source/1978_World_Men's_Handball_Championship), [1982](/source/1982_World_Men's_Handball_Championship) and [1986](/source/1986_World_Men's_Handball_Championship). For a long time he held the record for most caps for the Swedish national team, but was eventually overtaken, and he was the first Swedish player to achieve 200 international matches. ==Coaching career== Hellgren had slowly become a more classical coach when he played less and less for Stavanger IF. He took over the [USA women's team](/source/United_States_women's_national_handball_team). In his first tournament, the [Pan American Games](/source/Pan_American_Games), he managed to win the tournament. He took over his former club [Irsta IF](/source/Irsta_IF), where he didn't manage to bring them to the play-offs. Between 1994 and 1996 Hellgren was the coach of both the US men's and women's teams. This was in the lead-up to [Atlanta 1996](/source/1996_Summer_Olympics). At the 1995 women's World cup, the United States ended at 17th out of 20. At the Olympics games the team would finish last out of 8 participants. On the men's side, he would lead them to a 17th place out of 20 and at the Olympics a 9th out of 12th. Afterwards, he took over the Swedish women's team between 1996 and 1999. At the [European Women's Handball Championship](/source/European_Women's_Handball_Championship) he finished 8th out of 12, but fail to qualify for the [World Championship](/source/World_Women's_Handball_Championship) in both 1997 and 1999. In 1998 he returned to club handball and became the coach of [IF Guif](/source/Eskilstuna_Guif). They gained promotion to the top flight in 1999, and the season after they were in the playoffs as a newly promoted team. After his tenure at IF Guif, he focused specifically on goalkeeper coaching at various clubs and national teams, and on individual coaching. Additionally Hellgren has worked sa a teacher in maths, biology and P.E. From 2014 to 2017, he was fitness coach for [Hammarby Fotboll](/source/Hammarby_Fotboll).{{cite news | url=https://www.aftonbladet.se/sportbladet/fotboll/a/yBAx2/lamnar-hammarby-vill-inte-vara-med | newspaper=Aftonbladet | title=Lämnar Hammarby: "Vill inte vara med" | first=Andreas | last=Käck | date=1 February 2017 }} ==Personal life== Hellgren was born in [Norrköping](/source/Norrk%C3%B6ping) to Anna-Carin and Swedish swimmer [Rune Hellgren](/source/Rune_Hellgren).{{cite news | url=https://www.expressen.se/sport/handboll/tv-profilens-massiva-loneokning-i-spanien/ | newspaper=Expressen | title=Tv-profilens massiva löneökning i Spanien | first=Thomas | last=Kingdahl | date=13 December 2021 }} ==References== {{Reflist}} {{Swedish Handballer of the Year (Men)}} {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Hellgren, Claes}} Category:1955 births Category:Living people Category:Swedish male handball players Category:Olympic handball players for Sweden Category:Handball players at the 1984 Summer Olympics Category:Handball players at the 1988 Summer Olympics Category:Hammarby Fotboll non-playing staff Category:20th-century Swedish sportsmen Category:Swedish handball coaches Category:Eskilstuna Guif players Category:IK Heim players --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Claes Hellgren](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claes_Hellgren) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claes_Hellgren?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.