AHF: Hockey at Paris 2024: Blaak brilliance guides Oranje men to first Olympic gold in 24 years

Paris, France – Day 13: A sensational goalkeeping performance from Pirmin Blaak helped the Netherlands men become Olympic champions for the first time since Sydney 2000, inspiring a dramatic shoot-out victory over Germany in front of a sell-out crowd at the Yves-du-Manoir Hockey Stadium.

After a tension-filled thriller between the two great rivals of European hockey finished locked at 1-1, 36-year-old Blaak – the current FIH Hockey Stars Goalkeeper of the Year – produced three breath-taking saves as the Oranje took a 3-1 win, securing their first men’s Olympic gold medal in 24 years.

The result means that the Netherlands remain on course for a Dutch double in the Olympic hockey competition at Paris 2024, with the women competing in their own gold medal match, against China, on Friday (9 August).

The Yves-du-Manoir Hockey Stadium was a cauldron of noise from start to finish, with both teams being well represented by their passion-fuelled fans.

There was little between the two teams for much of the match, with clear-cut scoring chances few and far between. However, that all changed one minute into a chaotic fourth and final quarter, with Netherlands captain Thierry Brinkman – who today joined his father Jacques Brinkman as a Olympic hockey gold medallist – touching home from close range after superb build-up play from Koen Bijen.

World champions Germany would have fallen even further behind were it not for a stunning goal-line clearance from Gonzalo Peillat, who showed lightning quick reactions to deny Bijan’s clever chip.

Just one minute after Peillat’s remarkable intervention, Thies Prinz smashed home the equaliser from a penalty corner, restoring parity with ten minutes of the match remaining.

While Germany arguably had the better of the final minutes, the shoot-out was all about Blaak. Despite both Jonas de Geus and Joep de Mol being superbly denied by Germany goalkeeper Jean-Paul Danneberg, Blaak looked almost untouchable in the one-on-ones, brilliantly saving efforts from Niklas Wellen, Hannes Müller and Thies Prinz.

Although Justus Weigand did eventually beat him, goals from Brinkman and Thijs van Dam left the Netherlands, the reigning European champions, needing just one goal to secure a third Olympic title after winning gold at Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000.

The responsibility fell on the shoulders of 22-year-old Duco Telgenkamp, with the rising star of Dutch hockey making no mistake with a wonderful backhand finish to spark wild celebrations from the Dutchmen on the field and the thousands of Oranje fans in the stadium. It was a heartbreaking moment for Germany, a side that has performed brilliantly at these Olympic Games.

“The Olympics is, for me, the only way to really write sports history”, said Netherlands coach Jeroen Delmee, a key player in the Oranje teams that won Olympic gold at Atlanta and Sydney. “This is such a big event. Fighting in eight games, every game, to reach the final, and then winning the final. It’s not even a medal, but for me it is the history you write as a team. And we did it like this. It’s unbelievable.”

When asked what winning the men’s hockey Olympic gold medal will mean for people back home in the Netherlands, Delmee said:“This will be an enormous boost. We know we have an outstanding women’s team that is winning every tournament – year in, year out. It’s exceptional (the way) they perform, but it was more or less about time that also the men started joining the women again, and putting Dutch hockey on the map.

“I think we succeeded. The way we play, what we’ve been doing the last three years, the whole project we’ve been running. People start celebrating again, they love the way we play, the energy we put in there, the effort. That’s maybe even more important.”

Earlier in the day, India men fought back from a goal down to overcome a monumental challenge from Spain, with team captain Harmanpreet Singh scoring twice to help India to their second successive Olympic bronze medal on a scorching afternoon at the Yves-du-Manoir Hockey Stadium.

It was a fairytale ending to the playing career of India goalkeeper PR Sreejesh, who made numerous crucial blocks against the Red Sticks to win an Olympic medal in his final appearance for his country.

Sreejesh – a two-time FIH Hockey Stars Goalkeeper of the Year who collected 336 caps – cut an emotional figure at the end of the contest as players and staff celebrated and honoured a player who represented India with such distinction over an 18-year international career.

“I feel great”, said India captain Harmanpreet. “We create history again, back-to-back (bronze medals). It’s a big day for India and a big day for hockey. We were here for gold, but unfortunately, that dream was shattered.”

Commenting on the match, Harmanpreet – whose 10-goal haul saw him finish at the competition’s highest scorer – was incredibly proud about how his team performed today. “Today’s game was very good. We played as a team. Everyone delivered, especially our legend Sreejesh. It was his last game. It’s a memorable game for him, and a big achievement as a team. He gave everything to hockey in India, but now it’s his time. He is not going anywhere. He is here (pointing to his heart).”

Further information and statistics about the matches can be found here.  

Notable figures attending the Olympic hockey at Yves-du-Manoir on Day 12 included Olaf Scholz, the Chancellor of Germany, and Mukesh Ambani, Chairman and Managing Director of Reliance Industries.

On Friday 9 August, the women’s gold, silver and bronze medallists will all be decided at the Yves-du-Manoir Hockey Stadium, with Argentina playing Belgium in the bronze medal match at 14:00 CEST before the Netherlands and China fight for gold at 20:00. A preview for these matches can be found here.

The hockey competitions at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 take place from Saturday 27 July to Friday 9 August. Both the men’s and women’s competitions feature 12 teams, split into two pools of six ahead of quarter-finals, semi-finals and medal matches. For more information about the hockey competitions at Paris 2024, visit Olympics.Hockey.

Olympic Games Paris 2024 – Hockey

8 August 2024 – Day 13
Men’s medal matches – Thursday 8 August 2024 (all times CEST)

14:00: India 2-1 Spain
19:00: Germany 1-1 Netherlands (1-3 after shoot-out)

Fixtures
Women’s medal matches – Friday 9 August 2024 (all times CEST)
14:00 – Bronze: Argentina vs Belgium
20:00 – Gold: Netherlands vs China

Final Standings

Men

Gold: The Netherlands
Silver: Germany
Bronze: India
4: Spain
5: Belgium
6: Australia
7: Great Britain
8: Argentina
9: South Africa
10: Ireland
11: France
12: New Zealand

Women

Gold:
Silver:
Bronze:
4:
5: Australia
6: Germany
7: Spain
8: Great Britain
9: USA
10: Japan
11: South Africa
12: France

Pool standings overviews
Men: click here.
Women: click here.