Fast forward Tom a boon for Belgium

For Tom Boon, hockey is in his blood and that’s what keeps the exciting young Belgian striker breathing.

Hailing from a family where his grandmother Jacqueline Ronsmans, mother Carine Boon-Coudron, uncles Eric and Marc Coudron and sister Jill Boon have played hockey at the top level, it’s unsurprising that Tom too chose to wield the stick.

Tom’s first tryst with the game came at the age of three he was taken to a game involving one of his family members. He immediately fell in love with the game and became serious about it three years later.

Progress was steady and he broke into the national team at 17 in 2008, making a decent impression. A brilliant striker with a penchant for wonderful goals and creating moves out of nowhere, Tom today is one of top players in the world.

A vital cog in Belgium’s rise up the world rankings to fourth place, Tom said hockey was all that he dreamt of since his childhood. “I was born into a hockey family. Ever since I was six, the only thing I wanted to be was a hockey player. When I was picked to the national side, it was a dream come true. It’s been a wonderful six-year journey so far.”

While internationally, Tom has been leaving his mark with every passing event, he hogged the limelight in stunning fashion at last month’s HIL closed bid auction for the 2015 season when he was bought by newcomers Dabang Mumbai for a whopping $103,000.

“It’s a nice feeling to get such a price tag. Some may feel the season becomes too hectic but I really enjoy playing hockey. As I’m a professional hockey player, I don’t mind the hectic schedule (including the international season) one bit but for others who have to juggle work and hockey, it could be difficult.”

Clearly one of the young stars to watch out for in this Champions Trophy, 24-year-old however chose to keep his targets small. “It’s nice to hear when people tell me that I’m a key player in the side. But, I think the whole team plays really well. Of course, we have 3-4 important players but the others keep pitching in every time. The strength of Belgium is the whole squad. The balance and camaraderie in the team is brilliant.

“The target is to improve in every game. We want to win every game and hope to finish at a very high level.”

Judging by his performance against Pakistan in the opener where he set up Thomas Briels in superb fashion after dribbling past four rival players, Tom has made the perfect start.
DH News Service