Maartje Paumen world’s best hockeyster

ROSARIO, Argentina – Dutch hockey captain Maartje Paumen (26) has been honoured by her fellow FIH international hockey players by being named as the women’s Player of the Year for 2011. She was presented with her prize at the Argentina FIH Champions Trophy in Rosario, shortly after players went head-to-head in the crucial Quarter Final match between their respective nations. The Dutch player has long been recognized as one of the world’s finest penalty corner flickers, but in 2011 she firmly established herself as both an exceptional midfielder and inspirational captain as the Netherlands re-claimed its place at the top of the FIH World Rankings. Paumen was the driving force behind Dutch triumphs in the EuroHockey Nations Championships (at Mönchengladbach, Germany) as well as the Rabo FIH Champions Trophy (at Amstelveen), where she produced a stunning hat-trick against world champion Argentina. Paumen’s success in the FIH Player of the Year Award came just two days after she wrote herself into the history books in Rosario. On Tuesday January 31, 2012, she became the highest goal-scorer in Champions Trophy history when she netted twice in the Netherlands’ 4-1 win over Japan. The double strike took her past the existing record of 22 goals set by Germany’s Nadine Ernsting-Krienke, a landmark which had stood for five years.