Robert Adriaan van der Horst (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈrɔbərt fɑn dər ˈɦɔrst]; born 17 October 1984) is a Dutch former field hockey player who played as a defender and currently the assistant coach of the first men's team of Oranje-Rood.

Robert van der Horst
Van der Horst at the 2016 Olympics
Personal information
Full name Robert Adriaan van der Horst
Born (1984-10-17) 17 October 1984 (age 40)
Eindhoven, Netherlands
Height 179 cm (5 ft 10+12 in)[1]
Weight 74 kg (163 lb)
Playing position Defender
Club information
Current club Oranje-Rood (assistant)
Youth career
1999–2001 Oranje Zwart
Senior career
Years Team
2001–2009 Oranje Zwart
2009–2012 Rotterdam
2012–2016 Oranje Zwart
2016–2019 Oranje-Rood
National team
Years Team Caps Goals
2004–2016 Netherlands 272 (14)
Coaching career
2019–2022 Oranje-Rood
2022–present Oranje-Rood (assistant)

He played a total of 272 caps for the Dutch national team, which makes him the seventh most capped Dutch player of all time.[2] He scored 14 goals in his international career which lasted from 2004 until 2016. The defender was the captain of the national teams that finished fourth at the 2008 and 2016 Olympics and won a silver medal in 2012.[3] He played club hockey for Oranje Zwart, Rotterdam and Oranje-Rood.

Club career

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He played in the youth ranks of Oranje Zwart for two years before he got into the first team, in which he played for eight seasons.[4] After those eight seasons, he joined HC Rotterdam.[5] He wanted to leave Oranje Zwart after those eight seasons because he felt that he had so much responsibility for his team and club that it was at the expense of his own development as a hockey player.[4] After three seasons with Rotterdam, he returned to Oranje Zwart.[6] After Oranje Zwart merged in 2016 with EMHC he started playing for the newly formed club HC Oranje-Rood. In April 2019 van der Horst announced he would retire at the end of the season.[7][8]

International career

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He made his debut for the Dutch national team during the 2004 Champions Trophy in Lahore.[9] He was named the 2005 Young Player of the Year and the 2015 Player of the Year by the International Hockey Federation,[10] which also placed him on the 2007 All-Star team. He was selected as player of the tournament at the 2007 EuroHockey Nations Championship.[11] During his long international career, he played in three Summer Olympics, three World Cups and six EuroHockey Championships.[9] In 2016, the head coach of the national team announced he would no longer be called up, so the 2016 Summer Olympics was his last tournament with the national team.[12]

Coaching career

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After van der Horst announced his retirement as a player it was announced that he would become the new head coach of his former club's first men's team Oranje-Rood.[13] After three years as the head coach, he took a step back and switched roles with the assistant coach.[14]

Personal life

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He was born and raised in Eindhoven, where he currently still lives. He is married and has two children.[9]

Honours

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Club

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Oranje Zwart

International

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Netherlands

Individual

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References

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  1. ^ Robert van der Horst. rio2016.com
  2. ^ "Oranje Heren 100+ interlands". hockey.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 27 November 2018.
  3. ^ Robert van der Horst. sports-reference.com
  4. ^ a b "Robert van der Horst voelt zich bevrijd". ed.nl (in Dutch). Eindhovens Dagblad. 25 June 2009. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
  5. ^ "International Van der Horst naar HCR". rijnmond.nl (in Dutch). RTV Rijnmond. 9 June 2009. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
  6. ^ "Van der Horst weg bij HCR". rijnmond.nl (in Dutch). RTV Rijnmond. 15 February 2012. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
  7. ^ "Na 20 seizoenen houdt Robert van der Horst het voor gezien". Algemeen Dagblad (in Dutch). 29 April 2019. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  8. ^ "Hockeyer Van der Horst stopt ermee na dit seizoen". nos.nl (in Dutch). Nederlandse Omroep Stichting. 29 April 2019. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  9. ^ a b c "Robert van der Horst". hockey.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 2 December 2018.
  10. ^ Robert van der Horst. nbcolympics.com
  11. ^ Robert van der Horst. london2012.com
  12. ^ Wester, Eelko (22 November 2016). "Caldas neemt afscheid van Van der Horst en Hertzberger". hockey.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 2 December 2018.
  13. ^ "Onlangs gestopte Van der Horst wordt coach Oranje-Rood". nos.nl (in Dutch). NOS. 29 May 2019. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  14. ^ Derksen, Linda (24 May 2022). "Robert van der Horst doet stapje terug bij Oranje-Rood; coachwissel met Jeroen Baart". ed.nl (in Dutch). Eindhovens Dagblad. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
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