SShortly after he achieved the greatest success of his career on an artificial turf pitch in East India, his thoughts were on the Lower Rhine. At home in Krefeld. “I want to go home as soon as possible,” said Niklas Wellen, the gold medal around his neck.
The 28-year-old had previously led the German national hockey team to triumph at the World Cup. For the first major title win of the most successful Olympic ball sport in this country in ten years. As a world-class goalscorer, Wellen not only scored seven goals during the championship, but was also named “Player of the Tournament” after beating Belgium in the final on Sunday and winning the third World Cup after 2002 and 2006 – 5-4 after a penalty shootout .
Father joy at half-time
But for Wellen, the day he reached the hockey summit wasn’t the most emotional. But that week and a half earlier. In the half-time break of a group game, of all things, he received the happy news that his partner at home had given birth to a healthy boy.
For a long time, Wellen had debated whether to give up participating in the World Cup for the birth of his first child. The teammates and the German Hockey Association thanked him during and after a tournament that the Germans won in the knockout rounds after games that could hardly be surpassed in terms of drama. The German team was 2-0 down in the quarter-finals against England (win in penalty shootout), in the semi-finals against Australia (4:3) and in the final against Belgium – and turned the games in their favor with waves as the driving force
His goal in the final, when he processed a deflected ball in the air and volleyed it in, was a masterstroke. His two hits in the final shootout showed nerves of steel. “The past three weeks have been by far the most exciting of my life,” said the striker from Crefeld’s HTC (CHTC).
In addition to his work in hockey, which has become even faster and more athletic, Wellen has a master’s degree in industrial engineering and initial professional experience. Waves comes from a hockey dynasty. His grandfather was once chairman of the CHTC, his father Dirk is currently and also chairman of the league association.
The family business is an important financier for hockey, which only attracts attention in this country after great success. “I promised that if I miss the delivery, I’ll come home with the gold medal and we’ll take a picture of my girlfriend and the little one with the gold medal around their necks,” Wellen said. That’s why he can hardly wait to get home.
