The nearly man of Belgium’s ‘Golden Generation’, Tanguy Cosyns seeks new meaning in hockey career

The nearly man of Belgium’s ‘Golden Generation’, Tanguy Cosyns seeks new meaning in hockey career

In October last year, seven members of Belgium’s ‘Golden Generation’ brought the curtain down on their glittering international careers. Among them, only Tanguy Cosyns failed to win a European Championship, a World Cup, or an Olympic gold medal.

Cosyns missed the 2017 European Championship (Netherlands) and the 2018 World Cup (Bhubaneswar) triumphs due to a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament and was sidelined for Belgium’s gold-winning campaign at the Tokyo Olympics. A 2019 video on his Instagram shows him clocking miles on a treadmill, preparing for the conditions in the Japanese capital.

He came agonisingly close at the 2023 World Cup, where Belgium lost the final on penalties. Cosyns’ missed penalty became the defining moment in the shoot-out. Yet again, he was overlooked for the Paris Olympics, dashing his long-held dream of representing the Red Lions at the Summer Games.

“The fact that I was not selected for the Paris Olympics led to my retirement,” says Cosyns, who earned 180 caps and scored 80 goals for Belgium over a decade.

“I couldn’t push myself again for the national team because it’s really hard. I want to enjoy my sport for many more years. With the national team, it was no longer possible because of the load we endure as international players,” he explains to Sportstar.

Now 33, Cosyns is seeking new meaning in his hockey career. Having transitioned from a striker to a defender, he aims to prolong his club career with Racing Club in the Belgian Hockey League. He is also exploring coaching and new experiences, such as playing in the Hockey India League (HIL).

On Tuesday evening, Cosyns, aka ‘el Coze’, proved his prowess when his drag-flick in the third quarter opened the scoring for his franchise, UP Rudras, taking it to the top of the points table.

Cosyns remains a potent drag-flicker, a skill he has showcased consistently for Racing. Apart from scoring as a striker, he converted penalty corners to reach 80 goals for Belgium. One wonders how many more he could have scored had teammates Tom Boon and Alexander Hendrickx not shared the load.

“It’s always a tough job, like being a second goalkeeper. But you have to push the standard to improve the flicker’s level. In a way, I think I can say Alexander Hendrickx became really, really good at drag-flicking because I kept pushing myself, which forced him to push harder every day,” reflects Cosyns.

A third-generation hockey player from a family deeply rooted in the sport, Cosyns hails from Brussels. Both his parents and grandparents played at an amateur level. “So, it was meant for me to become a hockey player — not necessarily at the highest level — but I had the mentality from a young age and was truly addicted to the sport. But in the end, it came from nothing. I took my chance, and I think you always need a bit of luck to play at the highest level,” he says.

Setbacks are nothing new for Cosyns, but he has consistently bounced back. After tearing his ACL in 2017, he started a clothing brand. During the pandemic in 2020, when the world stood still, he used the time to focus on crafting hockey sticks. “I learned how to manage a website and those kinds of things. My hockey brand was a project my parents supported, and now, two to four years later, it’s doing well. I’m really happy,” he says.

His current trip to India also has a business angle. “We focus on hockey sticks, and that’s why I’m here too. I’ve had productive meetings with some Indian manufacturers who make excellent sticks. It’s an opportunity for me to share my knowledge and potentially establish a business link between here and Europe,” says an optimistic Cosyns.

With a calm and pragmatic outlook on life, Cosyns is not dwelling on missed medals.

“It’s difficult because you want to be part of it. But with my experience, I know I gave it my all. I have no regrets. The coach has to make decisions; sometimes, it’s just a matter of preference.

“In sport, it’s incredibly hard to win everything. I’ve learned to enjoy the journey more than the results. If you focus solely on results, it’s difficult to truly enjoy your sport. With the perspective I have now, I’m proud of what our generation achieved and of my personal contributions to my team and myself,” he concludes with a smile.