Dreams easily come to children. In the early 2000s, the Millennials of Fringing thought it would be cool to grow up and search for the Aladdin magic lamp. But it would not have been long to realize that, more often than not, the wishes cannot be realized.
Even the sensational Yibbi Jansen was confronted with resistance when she told her family that she wanted to continue the sport, despite coming from Dutch hockey royalty.
His father, Ronald, had won Olympic gold medals consecutive to Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000, after winning bronze in Seoul 1988 with Oranje. Ironically, it may take more yibbi to convince him than national selectors.
Ronald wanted his daughter to take football, like his two brothers. But she had made her decision in 2012 when she was sitting next to the former goalkeeper in the stands of the Arena river in London, looking at the Netherlands breathtaking Great Britain, winning by a margin 9 -2 In the Olympic Hockey Hockey Semi-final. The atmosphere was electric, the thrill unequaled. Yibbi has started to miss it since the very moment she left the United Kingdom. His mother finally played the role of the good Samaritan, helping to bring Ronald into the idea.
So started a long and difficult trip. At the age of 15, Yibbi had already made his debut for HC Den Bosch in the Hoofdklasse Dames, the highest level of club hockey in the Netherlands.
And during her very first season, she won the club championship. However, she made a surprise passage to the intermediate part Oranje-Rood the following season, believing that she could not fully develop her skills in her previous club, filled with superstars.
Finally, on January 28, 2018, Yibbi obtained his senior national ceiling. At that moment, she felt that everything was being in place. “When I was 18, I played for the Dutch team for the first time. The first year, you like everything. You tend to appreciate everything, “she told Sportstar on the sidelines of the inaugural edition of Women’s Hockey India League (Hil-W), where her services were acquired for a huge RS 29 Lakh by Odisha Warriors . The offer made her the most expensive foreign player in Hil-W.
Yibbi Jansen, instrumental in the defense of the gold medal of his team in Paris 2024, was appointed player of the year FIH 2024. | Photo credit: Getty Images
Yibbi Jansen, instrumental in the defense of the gold medal of his team in Paris 2024, was appointed player of the year FIH 2024. | Photo credit: Getty Images
She started to present regularly in the Orange shirt thereafter. She played her first international tournament in China, where the Dutch team decimated the Olympic gold medalist at the time, Great Britain, 4-0 on the way to win the title of the Champions Trophy. In 2019, she once again tasted success, because the Dutch team won the first edition of the FIH Women’s Pro League.
She found herself between a rock and a hard place when her shape plunged in the following months. Despite the initial team of 22 members for the Tokyo Olympic Games, which was announced in 2019, it could not ride the flight to the delayed matches in pandemic in 2021.
“When the more difficult years came, I had trouble being selected for tournaments. I was not good enough at that time. They (the Netherlands) did not drop me, but it was worse than I couldn’t play despite being with them. It is not a pleasant feeling. So later, I just decided to drop and take some time. I have always thought: “I’m going to get there, but not for the moment”. I also had a mental coach to whom I talked about this moment. I think it helped me a lot. I always do it in my bad and good times to maintain my stability, ”she said.
When Paris came to strike, Yibbi was prepared. Not only did the Dutch team ended up winning the gold medal, but also individually, Yibbi put the Golden Bâton for having struck the boards nine times.
“You would always want to work better better than before. Last year, I really liked to play the Olympic Games because it was always my dream. And winning the gold medal was the highest point in my career. As an athlete, I was so happy, and I appreciated this, but now it’s a new year and I have new goals. I want to perform, and I hope it will be as good for a year as the last, or perhaps better, “said the FIH 2024 player.
Yibbi Jansen was the top spouse of the female woman, alongside Charlotte Englebert, Charlotte Englebert of the JSW Soorma Hockey Club, with five goals. | Photo credit: Shashi Shekhar Kashyap
Yibbi Jansen was the top spouse of the female woman, alongside Charlotte Englebert, Charlotte Englebert of the JSW Soorma Hockey Club, with five goals. | Photo credit: Shashi Shekhar Kashyap
She undoubtedly started the season with a blow. The Warriors, led by Neha Goyal, won a historic title in the first edition of the only commercial hockey commercial league in the world. Yibbi added to his honor board by becoming the top tournament scorer, alongside Charlotte Englebert from the JSW Soorma Hockey Club, with five goals.
Sharing her reflections on the tournament, Yibbi said it was a learning curve for her. “I enjoyed the experience of playing with girls around the world. The games were intense and close. The Hil is a good platform to make sure that the future of Indian hockey is brilliant, allowing her daughters to play matches at the highest level. The style of Indian players is very different from those with whom I play in the Netherlands. They are very qualified. They want to eliminate a player, while we are used to going easy. I learned to be open to different styles now, ”she said.
She was, at a good distance, the best drag exposite, after having recorded five of the 11 short shorts that were converted throughout the tournament. Currently, she is undoubtedly also the best specialist in the corner of penalty in sport in the world.
“I have changed a lot about my Drag-Flick since I started playing. I train the most with my Drag-Flick Toon Siepman coach (since his days in Oranje-Rood in 2016-17), and I train four times a week when I am on the ground. I train a lot on it. There are times when you have to make a little addition or change a few things, then the quality of the Drag-Flick suddenly drops a little. But in the end, it is a question of improving, “said the 25 -year -old.
Does Ronald also play a role in setting his technique at the dinner table? “Sometimes. We have the usual discourse of Papa-Faille. Most of the time, it is not hockey because it has its own opinion, and I have mine. It can sometimes compete. But It’s nice to talk to someone who has lived everything.
While Yibbi has drawn up her father’s footsteps in her professional career, she understands that many little girls from the most obscure corners of India would like to follow her traces. She said, “First of all, I was only a young player who admired other girls, and now I came to the position where girls are looking at me. But I hope I give them part of my experience and teach them some useful skills. I did, for example, a little to slide with annu (India and Warriors, 22, forward). It’s just good that you can give them some advice. I hope they have their meaning and make the Indian team later. »»
Yibbi, meanwhile, is inspired by everyone around her. “I also like to look at other athletes, not just hockey players. Football, I like (Lionel) Messi, for example, but all the other people can inspire you. If you read a book or just watch someone play day after day, every week, every game … It’s so inspiring. “”
While Yibbi continues to check the milestones one after the other, there is no doubt about the place where the Aladdin magic lamp resides at the moment.
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