Career
Larsen made her debut with the national team in June 1992 against Denmark, seventeen years old, when Sven-Tore Jacobsen was head coach. She continued playing for the national team and received medals in the three major competitions for women"s handball: gold in the 1998 European Championship, gold in the 1999 World Championship and bronze at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. Due to jumper"s knee, she was out of the team in 2001 and between 2003 and 2008.
She continued playing for Larvik mostly on defense, as her knees could not tolerate the heavier stress of the offensive game.
Her career seemed to be in danger, and she considered retiring. Finally, she underwent surgery successfully in 2006.
As a side effect of the years she spent injured, Larsen is now considered to be an excellent defense player. She made her comeback to the national team in 2008, winning a gold medal both at the Summer Olympics in Beijing and at the European Championship held in December in the Republic of Macedonia, where she also made the official All-Star Team as the Best left back of the championship.
As of January 2009, she has played more than 200 matches for the national team, and scored more than 500 goals.
Larsen started playing handball for her hometown club Tønsberg Turn. She was recruited to Larvik Hong Kong when Marit Breivik coached the club, and has later played for Larvik, except one year with the Danish club Viborg Hong Kong, in the 1998/1999 season. She reached the semi final of the Women"s EHF Champions League in 2002 and in 2004, and reached the final at the Women"s EHF Cup in 1996.
