The International Hockey Federation (FIH) conferred India’s young sensation, Mumtaz Khan, with the FIH Rising Star of the Year 2021-22 in the women’s category while Timothee Clement of France has been named the winner in the men’s category.
Mumtaz Khan burst onto the international hockey scene almost out of nowhere in the FIH Junior Women’s World Cup 2022, thrilling hockey fans with her incredible style of play and an uncanny eye for scoring goals. Mumtaz was the best performer for India in the Junior World Cup, scoring 8 times in 6 games. She finished in third place on the list of top scorers in the World Cup, as India missed out on a bronze medal by a whisker finishing in 4th place. She failed to score in just one game throughout the tournament, against the Netherlands. Mumtaz scored both the goals for India in the crucial 2-2 tie in the bronze medal match against England, but the team couldn’t get over the line in the ensuing shoot-out.
Hailing from the city of Lucknow, Mumtaz started off her sporting career as a track athlete. It can be seen in her game as once she finds any semblance of space behind the opposition’s defence, she is impossible to catch. Most of her goals in the World Cup came about in a similar fashion as quick counters by the Indian team left opponents playing catch-up as Mumtaz burst through the ranks to go through on the goal.
Mumtaz was also a part of the Indian team that played in the Hero FIH Hockey5s Lausanne 2022 and showcased her improving skills scoring 5 goals in 4 games, in very different conditions that limited her ability to exploit open spaces, as she instead relied on her shooting skills to find the back of the goal.
The field was closely packed at the top of the FIH Rising Star of the Year category, as Mumtaz edged Belgium’s Charlotte Englebert by a margin of just 3 points. Mumtaz finished with a total of 32.9 points with Englebert coming in second with 29.9 points. Luna Fokke from the Netherlands finished third with 16.9 points.
Timothee Clement, who won the award in the men’s category had a stunning breakout season over the past year, emerging as a new hockey superstar with breathtaking performances in the FIH Odisha Men’s Junior Hockey World Cup 2021 as well as the FIH Hockey Pro League 2021-22, that led to many impressive wins for France, and continues to impress with each passing event.
Clement dominated the voting in the FIH Rising Star of the Year (men) category, scoring 38.8 points. Sanjay from India finished second with 23.7 points, and Miles Bukkens of the Netherlands finished third with 19.1 points. (ANI)
