 Van der Weerden at the 2016 Olympics | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name |
Mink Alphons Louis van der Weerden | ||
| Born |
19 October 1988 Geldrop, Netherlands | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Weight | 83 kg (183 lb) | ||
| Playing position | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| HCAS | |||
| Senior career | |||
| Years | Team | ||
| 2008–2016 | Oranje Zwart | ||
| 2016–2020 | Oranje-Rood | ||
| 2020–2023 | Rot-Weiss Köln | ||
| National team | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2010–2021 | Netherlands | 191 | (115) |
Medal record | |||
Mink Alphons Louis van der Weerden (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈmɪŋk fɑn dər ˈʋeːrdə(n)]; born 19 October 1988)[1] is a Dutch former field hockey player who played as a defender.[2]
He started playing hockey at HCAS and has since also played for Oranje Zwart and Oranje-Rood. He joined Rot-Weiss Köln in the summer of 2020. Van der Weerden made his debut for the national team in 2010 and has since played in three Olympic Games, two World Cups and three European Championships. He studies physiotherapy.[3]
Van der Weerden took up field hockey aged 10 in 2000 following his mother at HCAS. Later he moved to Oranje Zwart. After Oranje Zwart merged in 2016 with EMHC he signed a four-year contract for the newly formed club HC Oranje-Rood.[4] On 29 January 2020 it was announced he would join Rot-Weiss Köln at the end of the season.[5][6] In the 2021–22 season he won his second Bundesliga title in a row.[7]
At the 2012 Summer Olympics, he competed for the national team in the men's tournament where the Netherlands won silver.[8] A penalty corner specialist, he was credited with the second victory in group play, over Belgium.[9] He also had a goal in the final against Germany, and ended as the tournament's top scorer with eight goals.[3] In June 2019, he was selected in the Netherlands squad for the 2019 EuroHockey Championship.[10] They won the bronze medal by defeating Germany 4–0.[11] After the 2020 Summer Olympics van der Weerden announced his retirement from the national team.[12]
