The 12 finest groups (males’s and ladies’s) from world wide are converging in Paris as we countdown to the ultimate few days until the beginning of the Hockey competitors on the Olympic Video games Paris 2024! Every workforce comes with the intention of standing on the Olympic podium, whereas just one can declare the gold medal on the finish of the Video games.
The primary impediment for all groups within the occasion come within the type of their pool opponents. The 12 groups have been break up into two swimming pools of 6 groups every, with the highest 4 groups from every pool qualifying for the quarterfinals. In as we speak’s preview, meet the groups in Pool B of the lads’s competitors, and discover out the distinctive taking part in kinds they’ll convey to Paris.
Belgium
With lots of expertise, high quality and self-belief, reigning Olympic champions Belgium shall be thought of amongst the favourites for the lads’s gold medal at Paris 2024.
Belgium’s rise from European also-rans to the summit of world hockey has been one of many standout hockey tales of the previous 20 years. Between 2018 and 2022, the Pink Lions received each main title on provide, together with the World Cup (2018), Olympic Video games (2021), European Championship (2019) and FIH Hockey Professional League (2020-21). They got here inside a shoot-out of efficiently defending their World title on the FIH Odisha Males’s Hockey World Cup 2023, with Germany profitable the one-on-ones 5-4 after an exhilarating ultimate completed 3-3. Striker Tom Boon excelled at that occasion, netting eight occasions together with within the quarter ultimate, semi-final and a 59th minute equaliser within the gold medal recreation to power the shoot-out. A small measure of revenge was achieved in August 2023 when Belgium defeated Germany to seal bronze on the EuroHockey Championships 2023, with Nelson Onana and Florent van Aubel serving to the workforce to a 2-0 win over the hosts nation in Mönchengladbach.
In Vincent Vanasch and Loic Van Doren they’ve two world class goalkeepers, whereas Arthur Van Doren, Victor Wegnez, Felix Denayer, Van Aubel, Arthur de Sloover, penalty nook aim machine Alexander Hendrickx and legendary midfielder John-John Dohmen – a person with a world file 475 worldwide caps having surpassed Netherlands icon Teun de Nooijer’s mark of 453 in 2023 – are all extraordinary skills. The workforce is coached by Dutchman Michel van den Heuvel, who stepped up from assistant coach in 2021 following New Zealander Shane McLeod’s determination to step away after guiding the workforce to the Olympic gold on the delayed Tokyo 2020 Video games. McLeod shall be a part of van den Heuvel’s workforce at Paris 2024, being one in all three assistant coaches.
The workforce secured their place at Paris 2024 with first place end on the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifier occasion in Valencia (ESP), profitable all 5 of their matches. Tom Boon was instrumental in that success, ending as competitors prime scorer (7) and being named participant of the match.
Head Coach Michel van de Heuvel: “We’re trying ahead to defending our title as Olympic Champions in Paris. It’s an extremely shut competitors this time round and while we have now the expertise and high quality to achieve success, I imagine these Olympics shall be one of the aggressive tournaments we have now ever seen.”
India
After years of sliding down the FIH World Rankings which culminated in failure to qualify for the Olympic Video games Beijing 2008 – a contest that that they had received a file eight occasions – India’s males are again on the prime desk of the worldwide recreation.
A bronze medal on the delayed Olympic Video games Tokyo 2020 was a landmark second for the workforce, following it with a third-place end within the 2021-22 version of the FIH Hockey Professional League. Whereas a ninth-place end on dwelling soil on the Odisha Hockey Males’s World Cup 2023 was definitely far under expectations, India bounced again by taking fourth place within the 2022-23 FIH Hockey Professional League season earlier than storming to glory eventually yr’s Asian Video games competitors in Hangzhou (CHN), guaranteeing their participation within the Olympic Video games Paris 2024. India have been 5-1 winners within the competitors ultimate towards Japan, with workforce captain Harmanpreet Singh scoring twice. Harmanpreet could be very a lot India’s star man, being a superb defender and among the finest drag sparkles within the recreation. Nonetheless, he’s removed from being their solely distinctive expertise, with two-time FIH Hockey Stars Goalkeeper of the 12 months PR Sreejesh, elegant midfielder Manpreet Singh, striker Mandeep Singh and dazzling midfielder Hardik Singh, the present FIH Hockey Stars males’s Participant of the 12 months all able to producing magical moments. The workforce is coached by former South Africa worldwide and triple Olympian Craig Fulton, who has held teaching roles with the nationwide groups of Eire, Belgium and his dwelling nation.
Staff Captain Harmanpreet Singh: “After 44 lengthy years, the Indian Hockey Staff is travelling to the Olympic Video games as a reigning medallist, and I’m joyful to guide this unit. I do know there are a variety of expectations of us from again dwelling, and we’re able to ship on our guarantees. Our workforce has proven super progress and resilience in recent times. As we gear up for Paris 2024, we’re centered on doing our greatest to vary the colour of the medal, and signify India with delight. We’re hungry for fulfillment and decided to convey glory to our nation on the Olympic stage.”
Australia
After struggling a heartbreaking shoot-out defeat by the hands of Belgium within the Tokyo 2020 gold medal match three years in the past, Australia shall be decided to face atop of the rostrum at Paris 2024. Judging by their glorious latest kind within the FIH Hockey Professional League, they’ve each probability of including a second Olympic gold medal to that received so famously by Jamie Dwyer and co. at Athens 2004 some 20 years in the past.
In June the mighty Kookaburras, coached by legendary Australia striker Colin Batch, claimed their first Professional League title since 2019 by profitable ten of their 16 matches and recording notable victories over the likes of Germany, India, the Netherlands, Spain and Nice Britain. Striker Blake Govers scored 12 occasions in 12 Professional League matches with eight penalty corners, three subject objectives and one penalty stroke.
Australia secured their ticket to the Olympic Video games Paris 2024 by profitable the 2023 Oceania Cup, claiming a 2-1 collection victory over hosts New Zealand in Whangarei. It was Australia’s twelfth continental championship title, one that may give world class skills corresponding to Govers, Aran Zelewski, Eddie Ockenden, Jake Whetton and Tim Model the possibility to surpass Tokyo silver with gold in Paris.
Head Coach Colin Batch: “We’ve learnt loads this yr and developed our recreation and located options by way of troublesome and difficult conditions. We count on the match to be shut and we are going to use our expertise and perception to carry out properly. Whereas we’re an skilled workforce and can draw on that, we additionally wish to embrace and benefit from the problem of performing on the Olympics. We’re excited to be taking part in in Paris and we are going to carry that mindset by way of every recreation.”
Argentina
The Olympic champions from Rio 2016 are Pan American hockey’s most potent power, having been topped continental champions on 15 separate events.
Their most up-to-date continental title got here final November on the Pan American Video games 2023 in Santiago, Chile, the place Los Leones received all 5 of their matches, scoring a exceptional 40 objectives and conceding simply three. Tomas Domene claimed a 14-goal haul within the competitors, scoring 9 penalty corners and 5 occasions from open play. The workforce coached by Mariano Ronconi sealed their berth on the Olympic Video games Paris 2024 with a 3-1 win over host nation Chile, with Lucas Martinez (2) and Agustin Bugallo getting the all-important objectives.
Argentina arrive in Paris on the again of a really strong FIH Hockey Professional League marketing campaign, ending in fourth place by claiming 29 factors from their 16 matches. Along with wins towards Nice Britain, Spain and Eire, gorgeous triumphs towards Belgium and Australia –each finalists on the delayed Olympic Video games Tokyo 2020 – means that Argentina can mount a severe title problem at Paris 2024. The objectives of Tomas Domene, who along with his scoring exploits in Santiago additionally netted 9 occasions in 16 FIH Hockey Professional League matches, will assist their trigger, whereas Maico Casella, Nicolas della Torre and Lucas Martinez are additionally able to making an affect on the scoreboard.
Captain Matias Rey and attacking midfielder Agustin Mazzilli convey a wealth of expertise to this gifted group with each having been a part of the workforce that claimed Olympic gold at Rio 2016.
Head Coach Mariano Ronconi: “We’re at degree and we’re aiming excessive however we perceive that males’s subject hockey could be very even, something can occur. The preparation was very constructive and we’re very excited, on the identical time, engaged on anxiousness. We’re very grateful and happy, it’s a group that labored very laborious to realize nice objectives.”
New Zealand
New Zealand will make their 14th Olympic look at Paris 2024, with the gold medallists from Montreal 1976 having secured qualification on the expense of 4 occasions Olympic champions Pakistan.
After struggling semi-final defeats on the 2024 FIH Olympic Qualifier in Muscat (OMA), the Black Sticks and Inexperienced Shirts confronted one another in a winner takes all 3-4 play-off recreation. Trailing 2-1 with simply eight minutes remaining, objectives from Hugo Inglis and Scott Boyde – his second of the match – earned New Zealand an impressive 3-2 triumph and a ticket to the world’s best sporting spectacle.
They adopted Paris 2024 qualification with a string of excellent performances at June’s FIH Hockey Males’s Nations Cup in Gniezno (POL), defeating hosts Poland, Austria, South Africa, Korea and Pakistan earlier than assembly France within the ultimate. With the total time rating locked at 1-1, Kane Russell netted the title profitable aim within the shoot-out because the Black Sticks regained their place within the elite FIH Hockey Professional League, a contest from which they have been relegated in 2022-23, on the first try.
The Black Sticks are at all times a power to be reckoned with, being blessed with quite a few world class gamers. Blair Tarrant is a high-quality defender who has represented his nation greater than 260 occasions, whereas the likes of veteran striker Simon Youngster, Sam Lane, Hugo Inglis and penalty nook weapon Kane Russell are all aim threats.
The workforce is coached by former South Africa striker Greg Nicol, who represented his nation on the Atlanta 1996 and Athens 2004 Olympic Video games in addition to the 2002 FIH Males’s World Cup in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Eire
After profitable silver on the 1908 Olympic Video games in London, Eire’s males had had a 108 yr wait earlier than returning to the Olympic hockey stage at Rio 2016, the place they completed in tenth place. Their qualification for the Olympiad in Brazil was the defining second for a massively gifted group that fulfilled their ambition of placing Irish hockey on the map.
The Inexperienced Machine are coached by former Eire worldwide Mark Tumilty, who guided them to Paris 2024 with a 3rd place end on the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifier in Valencia (ESP), defeating Ukraine, Japan and Korea to seal qualification. It was the 3-4 play-off victory over the Koreans that confirmed their ticket to Paris, with Eire taking an exhilarating 4-3 win because of objectives from Matthew Nelson, Ben Johnson, John McKee and Shane O’Donoghue.
Though Eire’s participation on this yr’s FIH Hockey Professional League in the end led to relegation, two magnificent triumphs over reigning Olympic champions Belgium have been arguably essentially the most eye-catching outcomes of all the competitors. Their 2-1 and 4-1 victories over the mighty Pink Lions, performed on Belgian soil in Antwerp, have been assertion outcomes giving a transparent indication of what they’re able to. The Eire squad chosen for Paris accommodates three gamers that competed at Rio 2016, with Shane O’Donoghue, Michael Robson and former captain David Harte – who was named FIH Hockey Stars Goalkeeper of the 12 months each in 2015 and 2016 – bringing precious expertise. The workforce is captained by 27-year-old midfielder Sean Murray, who has 140 caps and 37 objectives for his nation.
Staff Captain Sean Murray: “This can be a massively thrilling second for us as gamers, and it’s an honour to have the ability to signify this workforce and our nation on the highest degree of our sport. The workforce and the broader group have labored so laborious to get right here. Little question the expertise will stick with us ceaselessly however proper now, we simply wish to get on the market and compete.”