December 28, 2007

LUCIANA AYMAR AND JAMIE DWYER
WORLDHOCKEY PLAYERS OF THE YEAR 2007

Argentine Luciana Aymar and Australian Jamie Dwyer were awarded as World Hockey Players of the Year in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Saturday. Both hockey stars received their awards during a special ceremony on the occasion of the Samsung Champions Trophy. German Maike Stockel and Australian Mark Knowles received the WorldHockey Young Player of the Year awards.

The awards were presented FIH President Els van Breda Vriesman. The votes were cast by all players of the world’s best hockey nations.

For Aymar it was her fourth WorldHockey Player of the Year award after she won the title in 2001, 2004 and 2005. The 30 years old captain of the WorldHockey All Star team took over the title from Dutch Minke Booij, who claimed the 2006 WorldHockey Player of the Year award. Aymar travelled all the way from her home city Buenos Aires, Argentina to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for the ceremony.

Dwyer won the WorldHockey Player of the Year award for the second time in his career after he was crowned the best hockey player in the world in 2004. The 28 years old Australian also won the WorldHockey Young Player of the Year award in 2002. Dwyer took over the title from Dutch ace Teun de Nooijer.

It wasn’t the only award for Australia as Mark Knowles (23) won the WorldHockey Young Player of the Year award, the trophy for players born in 1984 or later. The Women’s Young Player of the Year award was presented to Maike Strokel. The 23 years old German was also present in Kuala Lumpur for the awarding ceremony.