Hockey India League could be the breath of fresh air Belgium’s Victor Wegnez has been looking for
Hockey India League could be the breath of fresh air Belgium’s Victor Wegnez has been looking for
The midfielder, who turns 29 on Wednesday, had a below-par Olympics in Paris as defending champion Belgium finished fifth. He took a break from training with the national squad and also changed clubs in the Belgian Hockey League. He was trying to find things to do outside the sport when a medical emergency threw a spanner in the works.
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“I had kidney dysfunction. We found it in October. So, I needed an operation. I went to the doctor and the day after it, I was on the table to get the surgery. I got the surgery on the 5th of November. I was out for more than a month. I started training two weeks ago and now I’m in India to play,” Wegnez told Sportstar.
Wegnez has been one of the mainstays of Belgium’s golden generation. Since 2016, the Red Lions have participated in three Olympics, two World Cups and four European Championships and never finished outside the podium places till the Summer Games in Paris.
Striving for continuous excellence is hard even for elite athletes. “It’s (Paris Olympics) the first time I went through the experience of not winning any medals. It was strange and a hard feeling to live,” said Wegnez.
“For the quarterfinal against Spain (which Belgium lost 3-2), we were well prepared. We played the game in a really good way but sometimes in sports, some things happen. You just don’t want to play those kinds of games. It happened in the really wrong period. You prefer it to happen in the pool phase or in the semifinals so you get another chance to win a medal.
“Unfortunately, we were not good enough to reach the semifinal, and that’s something we have to learn from. There is some positivity even in the worst situations. That’s something that should help in creating something new for Belgium.”
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After almost a decade of giving it his all for the national team, Wegnez has taken a “mental break”, opting out of training with the core group. He did not feature in any of the four FIH Pro League matches Belgium played earlier this month against Germany and the Netherlands. He plans to rejoin the squad in February for the games in Argentina.
“If mentally you are not 100 per cent, it’s something that can impact the others, the results and the way you’re playing. I wanted to be sure before coming back to the group because I always dedicate myself 100 per cent. If I’m not doing it, then I don’t think it is useful to keep on going,” explained Wegnez.
In HIL, Wegnez, who is also a great first rusher, is going to share the dressing room at the Soorma Hockey Club with someone who has troubled him a lot since 2015 – Indian skipper and ace drag flicker Harmanpreet Singh. The duo met at the youth level in 2015 and then faced each other in the Junior World Cup final next year when India beat Belgium 2-1 in Lucknow.
“He became champion because we didn’t play well,” quipped Wegnez, who was the Belgian skipper in that tournament.
“I started meeting him a little bit more after the Olympics in Tokyo where we won. We had a good party with him and some Indian players. He is a good friend of mine and I’m really happy to play with him, but also with other players.”
HIL is going to be a five-week long tournament for men and staying away from loved ones for some players won’t be easy. In Wegnez’s case, it’s his dog, Kiwi, who is in Brussels.
Wegnez grew up in Molenbeek, a neighbourhood in the Belgian capital reported to be the hideout of terrorists involved in the Paris bombings of 2015. For Wegnez, hockey was an escape from an abusive father and violence on the streets. Eventually, with his future in the sport secure, Wegnez left home.
“I don’t have a really good relationship with my family. My dog is the only thing I have in my world. He’s like my son. He’s already nine years old, but I hope he will be with me for the longest time in the world,” said Wegnez.
As many as 29 players have pulled out from the men’s and women’s HIL due to reduced salaries, injuries and scheduling issues. However, Wegnez, picked by the Punjab-based franchise for Rs. 40 lakh – making him one of the top five overseas picks – has decided to stay committed to the assignment.
“I’m just looking to play hockey in a different country with different people and not because I’m Victor Wegnez and I want a lot of money. I’m just here to help the youth of India grow, to make some good connections, some new friends and enjoy what I love to do – playing hockey,” said the Belgian.
