Hockey Passion Exclusive Contributing to 2024 Paris Olympic Gold Win Hugely Satisfying: Thierry Brinkman
He is touted as one of the best hockey forwards around in the international men’s hockey circuit. Thierry Brinkman has indeed carved a niche for himself on the world hockey stage with his ‘sense of opportunism’ and ‘goal-poaching attributes’.
Read Few Occasions When the Mighty Netherlands Eves Were Inflicted International Defeats in Recent Years!
Like every hockey player, he, too, rose through the ranks and moved the needle at the 2013 Junior Men’s World Cup at New Delhi, where he scored six goals, playing his part admirably to help the Netherlands secure a bronze medal. He was also part of the Dutch side that had featured at the 2015 Junior Men’s World Cup at Lucknow, where they could not contrive a podium finish.
Brinkman’s performances in these two Junior World Cups paved the way for a senior team call-up – wearing the national jersey against South Africa at Cape Town in 2015 and there has been no looking back since then. “I’ve great memories of playing at the 2013 Junior World Cup – it was my first big tournament in India and the occasion was special because my parents were in India watching me play, and we went on to win a bronze medal. It wasn’t a good performance on our part at the 2015 Junior World Cup at Lucknow where we had finished 7th. Playing in the Junior World Cups helps gain a lot of experience and allows you to learn how to win knockout games,” Brinkman says in an exclusive chat with Hockey Passion.
Read Why the 2025 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup Would be At its Competitive Best!
The 29-year-old forward, who plays club hockey for Den Bosch, has made meaningful contributions in Netherlands bagging silver and bronze medals at the 2018 and 2023 World Cups. Brinkman scored a crucial brace in the bronze medal play-off tie of the 2023 World Cup against Australia. “I really enjoyed being part of both the World Cups held in India – in 2018 we lost to Belgium in a shootout and it was a case of bad luck – in 2023 we had a new coach in Jeroen Delmee, and it was our first big tournament together, so we did not had big expectations and the bronze win was actually was a bit a big step towards our Olympic success in 2024,” he makes his point.
With an Olympic gold medal and two World Cup medals (silver & bronze) under his belt, Brinkman is now keen to change the colour of the World Cup medal in 2026. “The 2026 World Cup in Belgium and Netherlands would be a great opportunity to play a World Cup in your own country and we are focused on winning the World Cup in front of our home crowd,” he says bubbling with excitement.
Brinkman, who has made 187 international appearances and scored 80 international goals, has played club hockey for different clubs such as Kampong, Bloemendaal, and Den Bosch. The ace hitman is full of gratitude of all the club opportunities that came his way. “All these three clubs were nice to me and there were a lot of learnings along the way. At Kampong, I was fortunate enough to get adequate playing time and then I shifted to Bloemendaal where I had a great stint winning three national championships as well as the Euro Hockey League. Subsequently, I moved to Den Bosch where I’m really enjoying my time.”
The club stint with Den Bosch is extra motivating for Brinkman. “Playing for Den Bosch is great – I stay with my girlfriend Elke Boers and bought a house together, and it is adjacent to the club I play for. We have staying together for seven years now. I’m really in a good space playing club hockey for Den Bosch,” he says.
Brinkman elaborates on how he looks at improving his game. “When you have a lot of years of international experience behind you, you know the things you need to do to play a good hockey game and also know what makes it difficult for you to play your A-game. It’s about knowing what to do before the game or after the game or during the game and I try to focus on that,” he says with a tinge of prudence.
The conversation veers around the 2024 Paris Olympics final against Germany, where Brinkman gave Netherlands the lead in the final quarter of the high-voltage clash and subsequently scored again in the shootout to play his part in the Dutch team crowing themselves in glory. “There can’t be any bigger stage than the Olympics, and the fact that I was able to help my side take the lead and pulled off a shootout goal is highly satisfying. It has to be the most important goals of my playing career,” he reels off with a dollops of contentment.
Read How India’s Most Capped Player Vandana Katariya Would be Fondly Remembered in Indian Women’s Hockey
For someone, who has been to India on several occasions ever since featuring for the 2013 Junior Men’s World Cup in New Delhi, Brinkman has become a big fan of Indian food. “Paneer butter masala is something I enjoy be it for lunch or dinner – I also like to tuck into a tomato cheese omelette for breakfast,” he signs off with a grin.
The 6th Hockey India League saw Brinkman reinforce his credentials as a world-class striker – he showed he is among the best in the business on the world stage inside the opposition ‘D’.
