The International hockey federation conferred India’s young sensation, Mumtaz Khan, with the FIH Rising Star of the Year 2021-22 award in the women’s category. The award in the men’s category was conferred on Timothee Clement of France.
Mumtaz had exploded onto the international hockey scene in the FIH Junior Women’s World Cup 2022.She thrilled the fans with her incredible game style and an uncanny eye for scoring goals. She was the best performer in her team, scoring 6 out of 8 goals.
She finished in third place in the list of top scorers in the World Cup, while India missed out on the bronze medal by a whisker. She failed to score in just in 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 her career in track and field. This can be seen in her game, as when 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 in a similar fashion, as counters by the Indian team helped Mumtaz to get through the goal. Mumtaz was also a part of the Indian team that played in the Hero FIH Hockey5s Lausanne 2022 and showcased her skills by scoring 5 goals in 4 games. She performed 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 for 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 the new hockey superstar with breath-taking 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.