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) |