Lars ‘Mosquito’ Balk on his love for defending, Olympic gold and HIL

Lars ‘Mosquito’ Balk on his love for defending, Olympic gold and HIL

Lars Balk and the Netherlands men’s team were immortalised in Olympic history when they won the gold medal in Paris earlier this year. He still pinches himself remembering that evening. “Sometimes I still can’t believe it. It is amazing. Everything was great. The stands were fully orange,” recalls Balk.

But the magnitude of their achievements was understated when they returned home to the Hague. A chat with his new UP Rudras teammate Hardik Singh, who won the bronze with India, painted the contrasting picture for him.

“After the bronze, they [India] are heroes. In the Netherlands, it is only for three or four days. You have to go somewhere, there are some programmes you have to do. Then you are by yourself. That is it,” says Balk.

Not that it bothers him too much. He doesn’t crave the adulation. He is a no-nonsense guy, a trait reflective of his primary attribute on the hockey pitch: defending.

A ‘mosquito’ is how his former teammate Valentin Verga had described him once. Balk explains with a smile while tapping his own shoulder, “I was always there.”

He added, “If you play man-to-man, I was always there with my stick to touch you like that” while poking his arm with an imaginary stick.

It’s a quality he has honed over the years after his move from MHC Vianen to Kampong, where he switched from being a striker to a defender. His impressive displays at Kampong allowed him to take the next step at the youth level, winning the EuroHockey Junior Championship in 2014 and 2017 when he captained the side. He was fast-tracked to the senior team in 2016 by Max Caldas and he has been indispensable since then.

Since 2021, the Netherlands has had an impressive run in senior hockey. Adding to its Olympic triumph, the side has also won the European Championship twice in 2021 and 2023, while finishing third in the World Cup the same year with Balk at the heart of all the campaigns.

And it was no surprise that his skill and quality made him among the most coveted overseas players during the Hockey India League (HIL) auction in October. The 28-year-old defender was signed by the Rudras for Rs. 40 lakh, a steep price considering the highest bids were reserved for attackers and drag-flick experts.

Balk will be far removed from his Kampong set-up, where he plays in a nine-month top-division league, as he steps into the HIL caravan. But after a short break from the national team after the Olympics, Balk is raring to go in Rourkela.

“It [HIL] is taking out my comfort zone. That’s the good part of it. I am enjoying it. Paul and his staff are doing a great job. But we need time. Every [practice] game we are taking steps,” says Balk.

Balk has been in constant conversations with India’s Hardik, Lalit Upadhyay and Akashdeep Singh in the hope of making the team click in the lead-up to the team’s season opener on Monday against Kalinga Lancers. 

“Without the ball [aspect of the game] is a big challenge for me. I have to speak with the Indian guys about what we have to do on the pitch. Especially the tactical side of hockey. That will be the most important thing in this HIL,” he says.

Winning the HIL is on top of his wishlist for 2025, but Balk is also keen to soak in the experience. He says, “[I want to] not only win the cup but also have fun with our team.”