India's comeback boxer Akhil Kumar upbeat about Asiad campaign

This piece was published in Sportskeeda

Thirty-plus cricketers staging a national comeback may be deemed ‘not unusual stuff’, but when a boxer makes a comeback at the age of 33 for an event as big as the Asian Games, it is something out of the ordinary.

Indian boxer Akhil Kumar has clearly set a new longevity benchmark, making it to the national side for the upcoming Incheon Asian Games. The 33-year-old Haryana Police DSP is famously remembered for his win over Russia’s world champion Sergey Vodopyanov in the pre-quarterfinals of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, before his medal-winning march was halted in the quarterfinals.

The 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games gold-winning pugilist spoke to Sportskeeda in an exclusive interview.  

Excerpts:  
Q Staging a comeback to the national boxing team at the age of 33 is not an often-heard-of thing. Your thoughts.  

You can call it a comeback but the point is I never lost the hunger to represent my country. The upcoming Incheon Asian Games will be my first international tournament since I last featured in the 2011 Baku World Boxing Championship, where I lost in the second round. I’m training hard and looking forward to faring well. I have many well-wishers and I believe it is their prayers that have enabled me to return to the national fold.  

The International Boxing Federation (AIBA) increased the upper age limit for amateur boxers from 34 to 40 last year - a move that must have sounded like music to your ears.  

I was elated to know that the AIBA has increased the upper age limit to 40 years. For somebody like me I was thrilled as I could play competitive boxing for another seven years. Now not just, Asian Games, I can focus on the 2016 Rio Olympics and beyond. In terms of achievement, I have played in 2 Olympics, 2 Commonwealth Games as well as number of World Championships – I have got a lot of recognition for what I have done in the ring and finishing the Asiad on a high will be nice.  

You will be fighting in the 60-kg at the upcoming Incheon Asian Games. You had fought in the bantamweight category (60-kg) for a long period, winning the gold at the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games as well as reaching the quarterfinals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Do you think shifting to a new weight category will pose a big challenge?  

Not really. I’m going to Incheon projecting myself a new boxer given that I’m shifting to a new weight category. I don’t care about reputations of other boxers and so don’t wish to know which boxers are going to be a threat for me. I want to take one bout at a time, and see how things pan out.  

How do you assess your medal-winning chances at the Asian Games?  

Well, it’s difficult to say that I will win this medal or that medal in the Asiad. All boxers will be well prepared for the event – boxers from Korea, Kazakhstan and Philippines are going to be hard to beat, but I will strive to ensure I box better than these boxers and bag a medal for my country.  

Vijender Singh’s bronze at the 2008 Olympics triggered a resurgence of Indian boxing – do you think Indian boxing has been able to sustain that?  

Absolutely. Indian boxing is in good health and our boxers are looked upon with a lot of respect by our opponents. Obviously, Vijender triggered a wave of popularity for the sport in the country – he recently acted in a Bollywood movie and we also have a film based on the life of MC Mary Kom, which shows boxing is making the right noises across various platforms. No sport can survive if it has no money or glamour and boxing is showing that it is a marketable brand in the country.  

Haryana has churned out a slew of medal-winning boxers for the country ever since Vijender won India’s first Olympic medal. Why is that the other states are not able to replicate that?  

Look, it depends on what policy the state government is adopting. The Haryana government has given immense encouragement to boxers by handing out cash awards and government jobs that athletes from the state are ‘extra’ determined to corner glory for the country. I don’t want to say anything about other states, but yes the mushrooming of boxers from Haryana can be attributed to the efforts of the state government.  

Boxing runs in the Akhil Kumar family – you wife Poonam Beniwal is a former flyweight state champion and is a NIS coach at Patiala. You have a young daughter – will you like her to take up boxing?  

She is just three. I won’t force anything on her and it’s her wish to pursue which sport she wants to. She does accompany me to practice sessions and wears my gloves. She also keenly follows my wife’s younger sister Preeti Beniwal, who is also a talented boxer.  

You are the only Indian boxer to beat a world champion at the Olympics. You have beaten many higher ranked boxers in your playing career. Which has been your most satisfying win so far?  

I will rate my win over world champion Sergey Vodopyanov of Russia in the pre-quarterfinals of the 2008 Beijing Olympics as my best career win. I was trailing 2-6, but never gave up and held him at 9-9 at the conclusion of the fourth and final round. The referee awarded the bout to me because I landed more punches than the Russian. This win is still talked about glowingly in Indian boxing circles as no Indian boxer has beaten a world champion in the Olympics.

I’m aiming to break into top-7 by the end of 2014" says P V Sindhu

This piece was published in Sportskeeda

P V Sindhu is in seventh heaven after having won her second consecutive World Badminton Championship bronze in Copenhagen, Denmark. The 19-year-old climbed two places to 10th spot in the Badminton World Federation (BWF) rankings, following her exploits in the 2014 World Badminton Championship. Sindhu spoke in an exclusive interview about her exploits in the marquee event and future aspirations.

Excerpts

Q Heartiest congratulations on winning your second World Badminton Championship crown. How was the overall experience?

It was really satisfying to win the World Badminton Championship title for the second consecutive time. Getting to the semifinals was not easy as I had scalped two higher ranked players along the way. Of course, improving on the bronze of the 2013 edition would have been nice, but I’m still happy to have settled for the bronze.


Q You lost in the semifinals to Spain’s Carolina Martin – to whom you lost earlier in the year at the Australian Open. Is she a hard nut to crack?

Look, Carolina is a solid player and is in good nick at the moment and eventually won the 2014 World Badminton Championship. I have lost to her twice this year, but have also won once again her and will be looking to beat her in our future encounters.

Q How would you differentiate your bronze-winning efforts at the 2013 and 2014 World Badminton Championships?

Every tournament, you play different players and other than that I found both the bronze-winning performances hugely satisfying. Hopefully, I can better the colour of the medal in the future World Badminton Championships.

Q You seem to have a knack of beating the mighty Chinese players – be it Li Xuerui, Wang Shixian or Wang Yihan.

My preparation levels are same for all players, not specifically the Chinese girls. I am happy to have done well against the Chinese players, and beating them gives you extra satisfaction as they enjoy a rich legacy in the sport.

Q You climbed two places to 10th position in the world rankings. Where do you want to be by year-end?

I’m pretty chuffed to have again broken into the top-10. I’m looking to get among the top-7 by 2014-end. I fully realize that it won’t be easy, but I will be putting in the hard yards to attain that.

Q Where do you think Indian shuttlers stand as compared to the Chinese, Malaysians, Japanese, etc?

Our shuttlers are as good as the players of these countries. Fitness-wise as well as tactics-wise we are capable of matching them in all departments of the game.

Q Do you think that there is lot of money in the sport now?

The Indian Badminton League has been a shot in the arm for badminton in India. The sport has gained more popularity and fan following in the country. Things are looking good.
  Q You are busy preparing for the upcoming Incheon Asian Games. But looking at the bigger picture, how would you assess your chances of a podium finish at the 2016 Rio Olympics?

Right now, I’m focused on the Asian Games, where I want to do well. I want to take one tournament at a time, but of course the bigger goal is to win an Olympic medal. Saina Nehwal did a fantastic job clinching a bronze in the 2012 London Olympics.

I'm keen to play in Australia and help my country beat them in their own backyard, says Indian speedster Varun Aaron

This piece was published in Sportskeeda
 
The Indian team may have been hugely disappointing in their 1-3 loss to England in the recent five-match Test series, but one man – Varun Aaron – exuded hopes that his international cricket career was very much on track. The 24-year-old Jamshedpur lad, who overcome a long-standing back injury and rehab and made it to the England tour after a 16-month lay-off, impressed all with his pace featuring in the final two Tests.

Aaron is famously remembered for bowling the fastest ball ever by an Indian during the 2010-11 Vijay Hazare Trophy final against Gujarat at the Holkar Stadium in Indore, where he clocked a scorching 153 kph to Niraj Patel who shouldered arms to that zippy delivery.

Aaron, who is currently training in Chennai-based MRF Pace Foundation under Aussie pace guru Glenn McGrath, spoke to Sportskeeda in an exclusive interview.

Excerpts:

You sat out for the first two Tests before finally getting an opportunity in the third Test at Manchester and subsequently played the fifth and final Test at Oval. How would you assess your performance on the England tour?
Well, I was determined to do well since I was staging a comeback to the Test side after a long hiatus – this was my first Test after my debut in the 2010-11 season against West Indies. I relished bowling at Old Trafford as the deck had purchase for the seamers. I had a three-wicket haul in my comeback Test and bagged two more in the Oval Test, so couldn’t have been disappointing with my overall performance.
“I’m keen to play in Australia”

You had to warm the reserve bench for the first two Tests against England. How optimistic were you about your chances of playing in the Test series?
I knew I had to be patient as the likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami and Ishant Sharma were faring well with the ball. So, there wasn’t any disappointment as such at not playing the first two Tests, but I was well aware that if an opportunity came my way I had to grab it with both hands.

You made your ODI and Test debuts against England and West Indies at the same venue – Wankhede Stadium in 2011 and played your first international game in England recently after almost a 16-month lay-off. Your thoughts.
My international cricket journey has been an up-and-down ride. I made my ODI and Test debut in 2011 and was picked for the Australia tour in 2011-12, but had to opt out due to a stress fracture. I then recuperated and played in the 2012 IPL where I featured in a few games before the back injury surfaced again.

I hit an extensive rehab programme, followed by a surgery in England last year before finally playing in the Indian domestic circuit. I owe a lot to my strong support staff, my parents, people at NCA, BCCI as well as trainer Rajnikanth at MRF Pace Foundation – they all have helped me recuperate from my prolonged back injury.

What are the lessons learned from the England tour?
As a cricketer you keep learning all the time. Any match can turn on its head in a matter of sessions – look at the Manchester Test – England were 160 for 7 but went on to garner a 200-run lead. It shows there is no scope for complacency.

You had to withdraw from the 2011-12 Australia tour owing to a back injury, and another Aussie tour awaits us this December – must be keen to stay injury-free and make the cut?

I’m keen to play in Australia and help my country beat them in their own backyard. You can always stake your claim as one of the top sides in the world if you can beat the Aussies in their own den. As for staying injury-free, certain things are not in my control but I have become more aware of my body, which will help me in the long run.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar has emerged as more than just a tailender with a doughty display with the bat in England. How important it is for a guy who is primarily a bowler to chip in with the willow?
I think tailenders have a responsibility of contributing to the side as a batter. The contribution of a bowler with the bat holds the key in proving the difference between a win and defeat. I haven’t able to focus much on my batting in recent times, but will be keen to work on my batting so that I can be handy for the side batting at number eight, nine, ten and eleven.

Indian cricket was looking forward to the lip-smacking prospect of Varun Aaron and Umesh Yadav bowling in Australia on the 2011-12 tour, but unfortunately, you sustained an injury. India never had two bowlers who could hurl the ball at more than 150kmph at both ends. So hopefully this 2014-15 Australia tour see both of you hurl the red cherry from both ends.
Hope so. Umesh and I are good friends and it will be great if both of us can play together in Tests. Selection is something that is not our hands and I’m confident both of us would bowl from both ends in Tests sometime in the future.

The 2015 World Cup is just some months away. You are picked in the Test side now – do you think realistically it is possible for you make it to the marquee event?
Test cricket is the ultimate thing for any cricketer and I’m no different. Having said that, I will look to keep performing in whatever format I get a chance to play and surely make it to the ODI side. As far as the World Cup is concerned, there is a lot of cricket to be played before that, and hopefully I can make the most of the opportunities and stake my claim in the WC side. Just want to take one match at a time!

Exclusive Interview: Pitaji was a man of few words, recalls Dhyan Chand's son Ashok Kumar

This piece was published in Sportskeeda
 
Dhyan Chand’s hockey wizardry left a deep imprint in the minds of hockey lovers – the grace, dexterity, poise, gumption he exuded on the hockey maidans – made him a household figure in India. Dhyan Chand was an invincible factor in India’s three Olympic gold medal triumphs in 1928, 1932 and 1936 – he loves to reserve his best for the final – at the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics he scored twice in India’s 3-0 win over the Netherlands in the final – at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics, he slammed eight goals in the all-famous 24-1 hammering of USA and was later again among the goals in the 1936 Berlin Olympics final against Germany which they won 8-1, a game where he took off his shoes at half-time and played barefooted in the second half. Dhyan Chand made his last international match in 1948 scoring more than 400 international goals. He was bestowed the coveted Padma Bhushan in 1956 – the same year he retired from the Army as a Major.

Sadly, the towering image he has built during his playing days and beyond, hasn’t been accompanied by recognition befitting his stature. No wonder, he did not want his son Ashok Kumar to take up hockey as a career option. “Pitaji (dad) did not get much in terms of financial recognition from any quarters despite all his achievements. So, he kept discouraging me to opt for hockey as a career,” says the legend’s son and former Indian forward Ashok Kumar in an exclusive interview, recalling the times he spent with the illustrious father on his 109th birth anniversary.

Ashok Kumar recalled those days when his Allahabad-born father was opposed to him playing hockey. “He was against me taking up hockey seriously, so I used go the maidan to play hockey by slipping across our house’s back door. Believe it or, pitaji first saw him playing hockey when I represented Bengal in the Seniors Nationals in Bangalore in 1970. I still remember a lot of pressmen and people turned up to see my dad and me at the same venue and my father told the pressmen ‘he has a long way to’…”. Ashok Kumar, in fact, was a stalwart also – he played in four World Cups (1971, 1973, 1975, 1978) two Olympics (1972 and 1976) as well as three Asian Games (1970, 1974, 1978).

Prod Ashok as to why Dhyan Chand’s exploits went unnoticed during those days, he says, “Well, pitaji did not belong to a financially sound family. He was employed with the Indian Army, but there were hardly any financial rewards doled out to him during those heydays. I think that was one of the main factors for the start of the decline of Indian hockey as youngsters probably felt that if a stalwart like Dhyan Chand receive step-motherly treatment, it was a futile exercise to pursue hockey as a career path.”

According to Ashok, his legendary father was a man of few words. “I remember when I returned home after winning the 1975 World Cup in Kuala Lumpur, it took me three hours to reach home from the railway station. When I reached home which was packed with mediamen, fans, family members, etc, I touched pitaji’s feet at the house entrance seeking his blessings, and he gladly touched my head flashing a smile – a smile which was more than words – just indicated the satisfaction of a dad seeing his son do something for the country.”

Statistics of hockey players are hard to find, but Ashok says it’s the medals that more than other things. “Today, we see players talk about the number of internationals they have played for the country. I firmly believed that how many medals you won matter more than the number of internationals played for the country. If a player has featured in many internationals for the country, but has not won any medal, there is nothing to show in terms of achievements,” he fires the parting shot.

The legend Dhyan Chand died of liver cancer on December 3, 1979 at the age of 74. His birthday anniversary is celebrated as the National Sports Day every year – an opportunity to remember the legend, who instilled fear in the minds of the opposition all across the globe.

Interview: India have to be at their best to win 2014 Asian Games, says Terry Walsh

This piece was published in Sportskeeda


The Indian senior men’s hockey team has injected hopes among hockey lovers about regaining the glory days of yesteryears. The Terry Walsh-coached Indian team’s silver-winning performance at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games has indeed caused tongues wagging about the marked improvement in the team’s performance and has instilled a self-belief that the team can take on the best in the business. The CWG performance diluted the disappointment of the national team finishing 9th at the 2014 World Cup at The Hague, Netherlands.

The high-on-confidence Indians will be looking to dish out another robust showing in the upcoming Incheon Asian Games beginning September 19. “We have to be at our best to win the Asian Games as the winner secures a ticket to the 2016 Rio Olympics. The kind of progress the team have made in recent times definitely makes me feel optimistic about our Asiad-winning chances you could say the team is looking good to achieve that,” says Indian team head coach Terry Walsh in an exclusive interview.

The celebrated Aussie coach, however, guarded against any complacency. “No team can be taken for granted. We have Pakistan in our group and they are a highly skilled side, who can trouble any side on their day. Malaysia and South Korea are formidable opponents and we will be facing them in the latter stages of the tournament since both of them are placed in Pool A.

Besides Malaysia and South Korea, Pool A features Japan, Bangladesh and Singapore, while the Pool B comprises Sri Lanka and Oman besides India and Pakistan to make it a nine-team men’s event.

Ground work should be in place

Dwelling on India’s CWG performance in Glasgow, Walsh feels that the team raised their game by a several notches as the tournament wore on. “The boys have put in the hard yards, and as far as our first game against Wales is concerned it was not as if the team did not play well, just that we did not settle down in the first half but overcome that in the second half. We have a lot of hard work ahead of us, but we are beginning to jell as a unit going into the upcoming Asian Games,” he observes. The passing, trapping and penalty conversions have shown a distinct improvement in the Commonwealth Games, something Walsh acknowledges. “We have improved in these areas, but we need to sustain it and only then we can beat top teams regularly,” he adds.

Walsh stressed on the need of putting in place a systematic hockey programme at the grassroots level. “Having a systematic grass root level programme will hold the key to Indian hockey’s future. If we can have professionally-run hockey academies in each state, and churn out quality local coaches, I’m sure Indian hockey will be a redoubtable outfit in the years to come.”

We have a team that could test anyone

Walsh touched on out-of-favour drag-flicker Sandeep Singh and indicated that the ball is in his court if he wants to stage a comeback. “Look, Sandeep is currently out of the 33 probables who are training for the upcoming Asian Games. He has to work hard at the domestic tournaments and the 2015 Hockey India League to merit a place in the national side. Sandeep is a seasoned campaigner and I know being part of the side for so long, he will find their comeback route harder than ever before. If he can show that he deserves a place in the national team, we will pick him,” he says matter-of-factly.

There is a general perception that the team have the wherewithal to beat sides ranked between 4 to 7 like England, Belgium, Argentina and New Zealand, if not the top-3 (Australia, Germany and Netherlands). Walsh has no doubts about it. “I agree that we have the ammunition to beat these sides. I narrowly lost to England and Belgium in the World Cup, but had beaten Korea and New Zealand. This clearly shows the team is progressing.”

So what’s the realistic picture for the 2016 Rio Olympics? “I strongly believe in getting the processes in place. I believe we need to raise the performance bar and keep working on our basics. I don’t wish to jump to any conclusions, but a top-6 finish is definitely there for the taking,” he quips.

The writer can be contacted at:suhridbarua@gmail.com

Indian team’s Asian Games camp begins today

The Indian men’s hockey team will begin their preparatory camp for the upcoming Incheon Asian Games at the Major Dhyan Chand Stadium in New Delhi on Friday. The 33 probables will be put through their paces under head coach Terry Walsh and other support staff. The team is brimming with confidence after bagging a silver in the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.

The Sardar Singh-led side put up a splendid effort at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, stunning world number 6 New Zealand 3-2 in the semifinals before losing the final to much superior Australia. At the Incheon Asian Games, India will be pitted against defending champions Pakistan, who failed to make it to the 2014 World Cup for the first time ever, Korea and Malaysia.

India have shown significant improvement this year, beating three higher ranked teams under coach Walsh. They beat Olympic champions and then world number two Germany 5-4 at the Hockey World League Final Round in New Delhi, seventh ranked Korea 3-0 at the 2014 World Cup and sixth ranked New Zealand at the recent CWG.

The Asian Games schedule is not yet out and it remains to be seen who are the teams India are pitted with.

 

Hockey India announces Rs 2 lakh cash award for Arjuna Award-ignored hockey players

Call it a raw deal? Well, you could add something more than.  Seven hockey players – Dharamvir Singh, V.R. Raghunath, Tushar Khandker, Bharat Chetri and Shivendra Singh (men) besides Joydeep Kaur (women) and Ritu Rani (women) – recommended by Hockey India for the covered Arjuna Award were not chosen by the Kapil Dev-led Arjuna Awards selection committee.

The development has left Hockey India hot under the collar. Hockey India secretary general Narinder Batra has slammed the Sports Authority of India (SAI) and the Sports Ministry for cold-shouldering the hockey players. Batra wondered how commentator Anupam Ghulati, who is a former employee of HI, can be part of the committee.

Hockey India feels sorry for the seven players and now decided to dole out a cash award of Rs 2 lakh each for all the seven players.

All the seven hockey players have served the country well one hopes that the development does not dent their morale ahead of their upcoming international competitions.

Indian players make their international debut, but never retire, says former captain Rajpal Singh

One of the sad realities of Indian hockey is that we do hear players making their international debuts, but unlike most other sports, players seldom get an opportunity to announce a ‘formal retirement’ from the game – at most times these players are dropped from the national team and we are often keep guessing what are the selectors’ line of thinking as in some cases some players never return to the national fold even they have age and form on their side. “In India a hockey player makes his international debut, but never retires. Look, when you say a player retires he should stop playing all forms of hockey like you see in cricket. As for hockey a player dropped from the national side in India continues playing at the state-level or club-level and there is no clarity from the selectors also. That’s why I’m saying a hockey player in India never retires,” says former Indian hockey captain Rajpal Singh in an exclusive interview.

Rajpal bore the brunt of Hockey India’s ire when he along with his players rejected the shoe-string cash award of Rs 25,000 after India won the Asian Champions Trophy in September, 2011 in Ordos, China. He led the protests against the federation and was not only stripped of his captaincy but also axed from the national side for India’s next international assignment – 2012 Olympics qualifiers held in New Delhi in February 2012. So, effectively the Asian Champions Trophy was Rajpal’s last international tournament and the final in which India beat arch-rivals Pakistan was his last international match. Till date, we are left to only assume that his international career is over, as there has been no clarity from the national hockey selectors on Rajpal. “It wasn’t hard to understand why I was stripped of captaincy and dropped from the national side. I paid a price for taking the lead in protesting for the players’ rights,” the former forward says.

Rajpal, who made his senior international debut at the 2005 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, turns 31 next month and is only seeing things realistically as far as his international career is concerned. “Although it is said everyone lives on hope, the fact that of my former team-mates have become either selectors or coach, it is an indication of where I stand,” Rajpal, who is married to Commonwealth Games gold medallist and Olympian shooter Avneet K Sidhu, observes.

The confabulation veers towards the Indian team's participating in the 2014 Commonwealth Games and Rajpal believes the good performance will bode well for the team. “The boys dished out a good performance in CWG, which will keep the boys in a good frame of mind for the Asian Games, where an Olympic berth is up for grabs,” he quips.

Comeback man Gurbaj Singh has been really shaping up well for India and Rajpal is not at all surprised with the midfielder’s efforts. “Gurbaj is a class act and there is extra hunger in him to do well given that he was dropped from the team after the 2012 London Olympics. In my book, Gurbaj is not just an asset to the side, he is also captaincy material – an option India can also exercise in future if needed,” says Rajpal who like Gurbaj is employed with Punjab Police.

Rajpal has many achievements on the hockey pitch, but which are the ones rates very highly. “Winning the 2001 Junior World Cup in Hobart and winning the bronze medal in the 2010 New Delhi Commonwealth Games,” he signs off.

The writer can be contacted at: suhridbarua@gmail.com

India 'A' side pip Bangladesh 3-1 to sweep three Test series

India 'A' men's hockey team whipped Bangladesh 3-1 to sweep the three Test series in Dhaka. The Indians took the lead through Yuvraj Walmiki before scoring another two in the second half through Gurjinder Singh and skipper Vikram Kanth.


Bangladesh scored their only goal in the second half. India had earlier won the first and second Tests by 2-1 and 5-1 margins respectively.

Pakistan captain Muhammad Imran sees India as big threat at Asiad

Pakistan’s men’s hockey team captain Muhammad Imran feels India will post the biggest threat at the upcoming Incheon Asian Games beginning next month. Imran was quoted as saying in Pakistan newspaper Daily Times that Korea and Malaysia will offer stiff challenge, but the biggest challenge will be thrown by India.

The 35-year-old, who was part of the gold-medal winning Pakistan team at the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games, rued Pakistan’s absence from the recently-concluded Glasgow Commonwealth Games, depriving them of vital international exposure ahead of the Asian Games, where the Greenshirts will have a real battle on their hands to retain the title.

The experienced fullback, who led the national team to glory in the 2012 Asian Champions Trophy in Doha, sounded confident of putting up a good showing in Incheon under head coach Shahnaz Sheikh.

Ex-French international Frederic Soyez named Spain men's hockey coach

Former French international player Frederic Soyez has been named the coach of the Spain men’s hockey team. The Real Spanish Federation of Hockey took this decision to appoint Soyez after the contract of former coach Salvador Indurain was not renewed after a two-year stint, following Spain’s disappointing eight place finish at the 2014 Rabobank World Cup.

The Spanish side under coach Salvador Indurain managed to win only one game in their league phase – they lost 0-3 to Australia 2-5 to Belgium, drew England 1-1, drew India before pulling off their only win – a 5-2 victory over Malaysia – they lost to New Zealand 1-4 in a shootout in the 7/8 place classification match after both teams are locked 1-1 in normal time.

Indurain’s replacement Soyez had earlier served as the national coach of the France men’s hockey team as well as the Under-21 teams, is well acquainted with Spanish hockey having played in the Spanish league for over 7 years. He made 196 international appearances for France and scored 195 goals and ended his playing career in 2009 before taking up coaching with Lille in 2010, helping them win the French national title to qualify for the EHL in the 2012/13 season.

Soyex’s main challenge will be to lift Spain’s fortunes at the 2016 Rio Olympics – they had finished sixth in the 2012 London Olympics after  losing to Belgium in the 5/6^th place tie.