WILSON Nick < Back  
Sport Hockey
CGA New Zealand   
Gender Men
Born 06 Aug 1990 in Palmerston North, NZL
Height1.80 m
Human Interest
Further Personal Information
Residence Auckland, NZL
Sport Specific Information
Club / Team Central Falcons: Wellington, NZL
Further Personal Information
Higher education Business, Commerce, Finance - Massey University: Palmerston North, NZL
Sport Specific Information
Why this sport? His father introduced him to the sport and it immediately became his ambition to play for New Zealand.
General Interest
Hero / Idol New Zealand rugby union player Richie McCaw. (hockeynz.co.nz, 13 Aug 2010)
Sport Specific Information
Name of coach Peter Miskimmin [club], NZL; Darren Smith [national], NZL
Preferred position / style / stance / technique Forward
When and where did you begin this sport? He began playing hockey at age seven.
International Debut
Year 2007
Competing for New Zealand
Opponent Korea
Location Christchurch, NZL
Further Personal Information
Occupation Athlete, Sales
General Interest
Nicknames Alninio, Wilsi, Space (hockeynz.co.nz, 13 Aug 2010; hockeyacademy.org.nz, 16 Aug 2010)
Sporting philosophy / motto "There is no gain without pain." (hockeyacademy.org.nz, 16 Aug 2010)
Injuries In 2017 he underwent surgery for a knee injury that, at its worst point, meant he was unable to walk without pain. (stuff.co.nz, 21 May 2021)

In 2015 he missed most of the season due to a knee injury. He first injured the knee in June 2013 during a club match for Rotterdam in the Dutch league. A scan revealed serious bone bruising to his femur [thigh bone] near the knee, and doctors warned that if he did not rest, it could threaten his career. Despite rest, the knee continued to trouble him and he underwent surgery for it in February 2014. (Twitter profile, 24 Jun 2016; hockeynz.co.nz, 28 Nov 2013; olympic.org.nz, 22 Jan 2016)
Awards and honours In 2012 he was named New Zealand Player of the Year. (fih.ch, 30 Apr 2013)

In 2010 and 2011 he was named in the International Hockey Federation [FIH] All-Star team. (fih.ch, 01 Sep 2011)
Further Personal Information
Languages Dutch, English
General Interest
Hobbies Sports, travelling. (LinkedIn profile, 11 Jun 2021)
Ambitions To win a medal at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. (stuff.co.nz, 21 May 2021)
Other information BREAK FROM NATIONAL TEAM
In 2017 he took a break from the New Zealand national team. At the time he wanted to concentrate on his career as a real estate agent, and he was also worried about the health of his knee, which he seriously injured in 2013. In 2021 he returned to the national team after a four-year break, in the hope of winning a medal at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, after which he plans to retire. Prior to his return, his last game for New Zealand was the 3-2 loss to Germany in the quarterfinal at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. “I've come back wanting to play and the main reason is just to have fun. It's also a chance of winning a medal at the Olympic Games." (stuff.co.nz, 21 May 2021; stuff.co.nz, 01 May 2017)