Hockey shorts: We round up the best of day 1 of the Paris Olympic hockey competition
Goal in memory
Alexander Hendrickx pointed and then blew a kiss to the skies after netting what proved to be Belgium’s winner after his grandmother passed away last week. His grandmother proved an influential figure for the Belgian power hitter. Aged four, he signed up to a local football club on the corner of his street but quit after three training sessions. His grandmother, however, pushed him towards hockey and joined his cousins at Antwerp. The rest is history.
Star in the making
The Netherlands’ Duco Telgenkamp scored his first goal at the Olympics just after half-time in the 5-3 win over South Africa. He has already scored 16 goals from 22 international matches.
Royals in attendance
The Dutch royals – King Willem-Alexander, Queen Maxima and Princess’ Amalia and Alexia- were present for the Dutch men’s clash over South Africa. PIC: Worldsportpics
Late rule changes
It was a surprise to see Joep de Mol’s name not on the starting line up against South Africa. A late IOC ruling three weeks ago now allows players who are ill (with approved sick note) to be replaced by one of the two reserves, but who can then return when back to full fitness. This also applies to any injured players, rather than face the rest of the tournament on the sidelines.
After the rain….
… came the deluge for Germany against hosts France, playing their first Olympics for 52 years. A rousing La Marseillaise was quickly extinguished when Germany scored within 30 seconds.
They kept up the momentum to win 8-2, but the near full house – it was a sell out but fans no doubt stayed away due to inclement weather – never lost its voice in a typical Olympic party atmosphere.
–READ MORE: Paris 2024 Olympics: Hockey schedule, match fixtures
–Our full Olympic coverage of 2024 Games
India inch past New Zealand
Black Stick Hayden Phillips nearly scored the goal of the day when he feigned two passes, found himself in the circle and his forehand saved by PR Sreejesh. In a see-saw battle, India scored a late penalty stroke. With seconds remaining, Phillips nearly scored in the final second but went wide. 3-2 India, an important win in a very tough pool. The Kiwis will rue their 14 chances and nine PC chances.
Image of the day
What they said…
“It’s amazing. Obviously (with) him leading the team, I’m there supporting him all the way. We’ve played together for a really long time, since we were little kids. So I know him (well), he knows me well, and we know when to press each other’s buttons and when to just stay calm. So there’s a sort of telepathy between us. It’s awesome having him in (the same team).”
South Africa’s Mustapha cassiem on his playing with his brother Dayaan
Paris Stat Attack
Yohanna Lhopital‘s goal for France against Netherlands women was their first ever goal in a competitive international match against the Dutch. The Oranje ran out 6-2 winners and Yibbi Jansen netting four.
What else you may have missed…
We spoke with Kookaburra Matt Dawson, who completed his first 60 minutes since his amputated finger. Read his remarkable story here
