WORLD CUP NEWS : Mumtaz Khan of India and Timothée Clément of France have been announced as the women’s and men’s FIH Rising Stars of the Year 2021-22, respectively, by the International Hockey Federation (FIH).
Hockey fans were stunned when Mumtaz Khan appeared almost out of nowhere in the FIH Junior Women’s World Cup 2022, dazzling them with her remarkable playing style and uncanny knack for scoring goals.
FIH Rising Star
Mumtaz led India to victory in the Junior World Cup, when she scored eight goals in six contests. India came in fourth in the World Cup, one spot below the bronze medal cutoff, but she still managed to finish third on the list of best scores. Against the Netherlands was the only game she did not score in throughout the tournament. Mumtaz scored both of India’s goals in the 2-2 bronze medal match draw with England, but India lost in a shootout.
Mumtaz, who was born and raised in the northern Indian city of Lucknow, is a former track athlete whose game reflects her background. She is almost unstoppable when given even a little opening behind the opposing defense. Almost all of Mumtaz’s goals at the World Cup came after rapid counters by the Indian squad, leaving their opponents scrambling to catch up as she sprinted through the middle.
Mumtaz also represented India in the Hero FIH Hockey5s Lausanne 2022, where she scored five goals in four games despite playing in drastically different circumstances that made it difficult for her to take advantage of space.
Mumtaz won the FIH Rising Star of the Year award by a narrow margin of 3 points against Charlotte Englebert of Belgium. In the end, Mumtaz scored 32.9% of the possible points, while Englebert scored 29.9%. The Dutch mare Luna Fokke came in third place, with 16.9 total points.
Mumtaz Khan
Rising Star of the Year (women)
| Jip Dicke | Charlotte Englebert | Luna Fokke | Mumtaz Khan | Amy Lawton | |
| Experts (40%) | 0 | 10.9 | 7.2 | 10.9 | 10.9 |
| Fans (20%) | 1.8 | 7.5 | 2.8 | 6.6 | 1.4 |
| Media (20%) | 2.2 | 6.8 | 2.2 | 8.3 | 0.5 |
| Teams (20%) | 1.9 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 7.1 | 1.7 |
| Total | 5.9 | 29.9 | 16.9 | 32.9 | 14.5 |
With amazing performances in the FIH Odisha Men’s Junior Hockey World Cup 2021 and the FIH Hockey Pro League 2021-22, Timothée Clément emerged as a new hockey sensation this past season, leading France to several remarkable victories.
Clément’s performance in the Junior World Cup was nothing short of spectacular, helping France stun the competition by advancing all the way to the semi-finals and then defeating hosts India in the Bronze medal match. Clément, as captain, set the tone for his team’s persistent assault, which France displayed to great effect.
Clément was a nightmare for opposing defenders in the Junior World Cup, scoring 15 goals in only six games. His 15 goals included four hat tricks, including one in the quarterfinals against Malaysia and another in the 3-1 bronze medal match triumph against India.
Timothée Clément
Rising Star of the Year (men)
| Miles Bukkens | Timothée Clément | Pau Cunill | Rizwan Ali | Sanjay | |
| Experts (40%) | 4 | 24 | 4 | 0 | 8 |
| Fans (20%) | 9.2 | 2.8 | 1.6 | 0.8 | 5.6 |
| Media (20%) | 2.4 | 7.7 | 1.2 | 1.9 | 6.7 |
| Teams (20%) | 3.5 | 4.3 | 2 | 6.9 | 3.3 |
| Total | 19.1 | 38.8 | 8.8 | 9.6 | 23.6 |
As a member of the French national team, Clément played in all 16 games and started 15 of them during their first season in the FIH Hockey Pro League 2021-22. In the Pro League, he scored six times for France, helping them to some impressive results all season long, including a tie with the eventual winners, the Netherlands, and resounding wins against India, Argentina, and South Africa.
With 38.8 points, Clément easily won the award for FIH Rising Star of the Year (men). Second place went to Sanjay of India with 23.7 points, while third place went to Miles Bukkens of the Netherlands with 19.1 points.
