Elite athletes spend most of their lives training day and night with one main goal; becoming the best that they can be. It is not easy striving to be the best in the world, but these athletes found the time and dedication to do so. However, one big question is what do they do once they retire from hockey?
We take a look at four different elite athletes from around that world that have given so much to the game of hockey and what they are up to now.
Our first athlete is Luciana Aymar, also known as “La Maga” meaning “The Magician”. Aymar played her last international game on the 7th of December in 2014 for Argentina in the Champions Trophy. She boasts an impressive track record being the only player to ever be awarded the FIH Player of the Year award 8 times, along with two gold World Cup medals, 6 gold Champions Trophy medals and many more.
In 2016, Luciana had her documentary aired on Netflix, “Lucha, Playing the Impossible”, which highlights her impressive hockey career with the Argentinian national team, also known as the “Las Leonas'' at that time. Aymar is an Academy Member for Laures - Sport for Good, which is a global organisation that celebrates sporting excellence and uses the power of sport to transform the lives of children and young people worldwide. She is working alongside other sporting legends such as Bobby Charlton, Cafu, Boris Becker and Tony Hawk. They continuously prove that sport can change the world for good and use their story to do so. Aymar attends several schools where she gives motivational talks to youths and also helps out in a number of training camps.
The second athlete is no other than 5 time Olympian, Teun De Nooijer who was one of the first members in the EHF Hall of Fame in 2013. The Dutch legend retired from international hockey in 2012, and shortly after called time on his club career. Following his retirement, De Nooijer's love for the game did not stop there, he continued coaching hockey at both club level and international where he was assistant coach to the Germany Women’s Team, but soon after decided to step away from hockey and spend some more time with his family. Shortly after he started his own academy, TDNA (Teun De Nooijer Academy), whilst also being a guest star at several hockey camps around Europe. Whilst doing so he joined Fan Based, a talent and team development company that provides online programs to help inspire, learn and do, putting his leadership and team skills to good use to help others. Similar to Aymar, De Nooijer is a Laures Ambassador which supports the work of the academy and the foundation by helping out with their more hands-on projects.
Our next athlete is another member in the EHF Hall of Fame that joined in 2015, Pol Amat. Having had the privilege to play in 5 Olympic Games and 4 World Cups, Amat is deemed to be the best Spanish player to ever grace hockey. Having retired from the sport not so long ago, he decided to stay in touch with his roots and 2017 became Manager of Egara. Amat also had the top executive position of the entity after passing as a senior auditor at PricewaterhouseCoopers and working as a wealth advisor and financial consultant at BBVA.
The final athlete has shifted away from hockey completely and caught the public eye after competing in several tv shows. Sam Quek MBE was part of the outstanding GB team that won gold at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Following her hockey career, she appeared on several TV shows such as, ‘For What It’s Worth’, ‘ Pointless Celebrities’ and ‘I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here’. Quek is also a presenter on ‘The NFL Show’, ‘Rugby Union’ on Channel 5, Hockey on BT Sport and Football on Channel 4 and LFC TV. In 2017 she became a sports columnist for the Metro newspaper and shortly after for the Daily Mirror. She recently competed in Celebrity Masterchef alongside tennis coach Judy Murray, mother of tennis legend, Andy Murray, and Sir Matthew Pinsent CBE, a GB rower with 10 Championship gold medals and 4 Olympic gold medals.
Most elite athletes end up taking some time off after hockey to focus on themselves and their families. However, most of them find themselves back at it either coaching or even playing at a more social level as their love for the sport is far too great to ignore. Having said this, some athletes decide to pursue other dreams, whether it is in sport or a different field.
What does your future hold after hockey?
