At 28, Oliver Korn is considered as one of the
reasons of Germany winning a 2nd Gold medal in the Olympics. Enforcing
midfielder, Korn has recently signed up for Hockey India League. He has scored
26 goals in 130 matches played for Germany and has been part of teams which has
won Champions Trophy in 2007. I recently had an opportunity to talk to
him about his hockey life. Read the full interview here:
Two back to back Gold medals in the Olympics, how
does it feel to win biggest hockey tournament twice n a row?
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| Two time Gold medal winner Oliver korn |
Winning one Gold medal in the Olympics is a big
feat but winning it twice is absolutely amazing. Winning the Gold medal in the
Olympics is the biggest title a player can achieve in his life and I am really
proud I have won it twice. It was three wonderful weeks in London and it took
us a while to realize that we did it again.
This time around, you were not the favorites to win
the Gold as many backed Australia so how did you guys make it possible?
Australia could have been the favorites among
hockey fans to win the Gold in the London2012 but we knew that we have strong
and experienced team and belief that we could beat anyone to win the Gold. No doubt
the teams like Australia and Netherlands give you tough challenge so it was
possibility that we could lose against them but it was our focus that got us
through. The coach had drilled the winning attitude among us along with
concentration and a bit of luck we were able to beat the top teams and win
Gold.
What was so special about this team?
The teams that played in Beijing Olympics and
London Olympics were totally different. Although the team that played in the
London was very young in age with but, we had a lot of very experienced and
talented players. The main reason of our success was our focus.
We took one game at a time and focused really hard
on it. And it was not just the players, the supporting staffs (coaches and
physiotherapist) were also focused on our target and this strategy paid
dividends and rest is history.
Going on a personal level, how you got hooked with
hockey
My grandfather was the one who brought hockey in
the family. I started really young, at the age of 5 and it was not hockey but
football. I used to attend training sessions over there before my mother’s
friend took me for a hockey training session at Düsseldorfer Hockey Club. One
hockey training session and I never went to soccer training again. The love
with hockey continued since that day. Apart from playing I train a kid’s team
of my new cup Club de Campo twice a week before we train ourselves.
Who was your mentor who helped you reach the level
you are today?
My former coach in Düsseldorf, Volker Fried,
(captain of the 1992 gold team of Germany) had a great influence on my career.
I worked with him for 10 years and he helped me a lot in becoming a player I am
today.
So, what is hockey like in Germany, the
professionalism, domestic structure, league structure etc?
There are 12 teams in the German “Hockeyliga”. The
teams come from cities all over the country (Hamburg, Berlin, Düsseldorf,
Mannheim, etc.) Every team has 22 games and after this round the first four
teams make it to the Final Four with semi-final and final.
Unfortunately there are not many people watching
the games. This (the attendance) is much better in India.
How was your experience in playing in EHL, Europe’s
biggest hockey competition.
Playing against the best teams in Europe, with the
best players and a lot of spectators is a always a great challenge and a lot of
fun. Winning the EHL with Uhlenhorster Hockey Club last year was one of the
best things I ever achieved in hockey. In search of new challenge, I moved to
Club de Campo where the first season was bit difficult and we struggled a bit.
It turned around after a great win Uhlenhorst Mülheim we were very happy to go
through to KO16.
What is the next target for Oliver Korn?
On the club level, the first target is to play a
great season with Club de Campo in the Spanish league and EHL. With the German
national team, first target is upcoming Champions Trophy. We would like to beat
Australia and break their record of winning back to back Champions Trophy
victory. With young team, we really want to perform well and win Champions
Trophy in Melbourne. We hope to take our Olympics form in the Champions Trophy
and win the tournament.
Your favorite hockey player.
Christoph Eimer is the best midfielder I have ever
played with. He always made tough things look very simple and one of the most
intelligent player hockey has ever produced. From current players I would say
Jamie Dwyer. It is always a pleasure to watch him when he’s on the field.
Let’s shift some focus towards India. India was
once a major powerhouse in hockey but today the game is very bad condition.
What could be the reason?
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| Oliver Korn in action against India |
I think India has got really
good players and despite the score line at the end it´s never easy to beat the
Indian team. The match we played against India in the Olympics was really tough
one. I guess the main problem with the Indian team is their consistency. At the
moment they are unable to manage to play 7 good games during a major
tournament.
You have played against India, what are the strong
and weak points of the Indian team
India’s attacking play is well known all over the
world and it is very difficult to defend against India. India has many skilled
players and you have to be very concentrated to keep them from scoring. On the
other hand, I think their defense is not as good as their offense. Bit more
focus on defense, the Indian team can become real force in the world hockey
Also, you have joined Hockey India League, what are
your expectations from this tournament.
I am expecting huge crowds in the stadium. We do
not get many fans in the Germany. Hockey in India is much bigger than in
Germany and I´m always love playing in front of huge crowd and it’s great that
Hockey India is providing with such a great tournament that will help us to
showcase our talent in front of the millions of Indian hockey fans.
What does India require to reach back to the top
and compete against Germany and Australia
Instead of changing their style of play and
following other styles of hockey, they definitely keep playing their own style
of hockey. Also they should try to be more consistent during a tournament.
What advice would you like to give to the young and
upcoming hockey players
Always keep on believing in your dreams. Work hard
and enjoy what you are doing.
Any message of the fans
The hockey fans in India are amazing!! I am really
excited playing in front of this huge, enthusiastic crowd.
Can´t wait for the start of HIL in January. See you
guys in India.
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