Gauthier Mvumbi

Gauthier Mvumbi (born May 15, 1994) is a handball player from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He plays at the midfield position for the Congo national team.[1] In January 2021, Handball Planet called him "the most popular handball player on the Earth."[2]

Gauthier Mvumbi
Personal information
Born (1994-05-15) May 15, 1994
Nationality Congo
Height 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in)
National team
Years Team
 Congo

He is officially listed as being 1.92 meters (6.29 feet) tall and officially weighing 110 kilograms (242 pounds).[1] though other sources indicate that his weight has been understated.[3] Other reports place his weight at 137 kilos (302 pounds).[4][5] Due to his "massive appearance", he has been compared to Shaquille O'Neal and called the "Shaq of handball", the "Congo Colossus", and "El Gigante".[3]

Mvumbi 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 about what distinguishes him, Mvumbi pointed to "my physique and my efficiency . . . My strengths are my strength and my speed for shorter distances."[5]

Congo qualified for the handball world championships for the first time in 2021. Mvumbi scored four goals against Argentina and another four goals against Denmark despite being double teamed.[6] He totaled 20 goal on 23 finishes and was named the most valuable player in two of 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 world championships, he granted 30 interviews from all corners of the world.[5]

Mvumbi also plays for Dreux AC in the French fourth division.[5]

References
  1. "Gauthier Mvumbi". Eurosport. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  2. "Gauthier Mvumbi lives his dream: I played the first match and it was boom"". Handball Planet. January 20, 2021.
  3. "Gauthier Mvumbi: The "Shaq of handball" and secret World Cup star". DE24 News. January 19, 2021.
  4. "Gauthier Mvumbi, 137 kilos and new star of the World Cup". Archyde. January 19, 2021.
  5. Fredrik Andersson (February 4, 2021). "Mvumbi blev viral under VM: "Tro på dina drömmar"". Aftonbaldet.
  6. "Viral handball sensation Mvumbi scores 4 against Olympic champs, gets shout-out from Shaq". Olympic Channel. January 17, 2021.
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