Two of the Best

Two of the most talented young players in the world, Australian Mark Knowles and Maartje Paumen from the Netherlands, will be in action at the upcoming Champions Trophy tournaments, attempting to add more medals to their collections.

But success comes at a price as they explain to Mark Grant.

At the age of 22, many young men are still deciding what they want to do in life. Not so Australia defender Mark Knowles, who later this year will look to complete a clean sweep of major hockey titles by adding the World Cup to his Olympic, Champions Trophy and Commonwealth gold medal collection.

The Queenslander has enjoyed a remarkable two years since breaking into the Kookaburras squad and becoming an Olympic champion within eight months of his debut.

Knowles admits even he was surprised by his rapid progress, although it could easily have been so different. Having caught the attention of Australia's selectors in 2003, he suffered a broken ankle - which he still describes as his career low - which delayed his debut.

That eventually came at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Malaysia against Korea on January 10, 2004 and Knowles has not looked back since.

"I didn't expect it all. I was pretty lucky at the time I came into the team," said the defender, who plays for Queensland Blades in the Australian Hockey League.

"We had set ourselves a pretty good base through 2002, winning the silver medal at the World Cup and having a couple of runners-up places in the Champions Trophy, but we just couldn't break through that final stage.

"I got given a go in the team in 2003 and I suppose the pleasing thing was I took my chance when it came along and I have enjoyed it immensely.

"I thought when I was coming through playing I might be able to make my debut at the 2006 World Cup. I didn't realistically think I could make the team when I did and I got my chance much earlier than I thought."

Despite his meteoric rise, Knowles, who began playing hockey aged four, has had to work hard to reach the pinnacle of his sport, with both he and his family having to make sacrifices to get him there.

That has undoubtedly helped the player stay grounded and even with an Olympic gold medal in his trophy cabinet, he still has an incredible work ethic.

"I have had to work very hard. I grew up in the country, Rockhampton, which is a seven-hour drive from Brisbane. When I was in a training camp in Brisbane I had to get on a plane or drive seven hours so my family made that sacrifice to keep me going," he explained.

"I worked very hard as a 16/17-year-old just to be given the chance to leave home and move to Brisbane and then, 12 months later, to the Australian Institute of Sport in Perth.

"At some stage you have to knuckle down and decide what you really want to do with your life. I made that decision when I was 13 or 14 because I wanted to be a hockey player and go to the Olympics.

"If you want to do something you have to put the hard work in. I only see my family once every year at Christmas - they are the sacrifices that maybe don't get recognised sometimes."

Even now there is no let up from Knowles, who manages to hold down a full-time job as a water services technician in Perth as well as being a world-class sportsman.

"I try to keep myself balanced. I still work 38 hours a week and I get a bit of time off to train six days a week for the national team," revealed Knowles, who will play in this month’s Sahara Hockey Champions Trophy in Terrassa ahead of September's World Cup in Monchengladbach.

"I have a good understanding with my boss, which is pretty hard to find when you are expected to do as much as we do. But I work 8.30am to 5pm and then go straight to training.

"I try to live a pretty healthy life and I don't go out much, so that is probably another compromise."

However, the 22-year-old, who among his interests lists bike riding, golf and going to the beach, refuses to rest on his laurels despite becoming an increasingly integral part of the Kookaburras' set-up.

"I just want to secure my spot in the national team for Australia, which is starting to become a bit more relevant," he said.

"We have won our third Commonwealth Games and now the big challenge for this group is the World Cup, which we have not won since 1986. That is our big goal now leading up to the Beijing Olympics in 2008."

Knowles, with considerable understatement, added: "We know we have done reasonably well over the last two or three years.

"We have done pretty well since 2004 but there have been slight changes in the group and there is a real hunger from them to achieve something and get their hands on that World Cup trophy.

"We are not thinking about the Olympics in Beijing just yet but we are really knuckling down with this World Cup because it is something this group is desperate to win."

As reigning Olympic champions the expectations on Australia are a high as ever but that does not affect Knowles.

"I love the sport more than ever now. You enjoy it more when you are part of a successful team," he said.

"Competitiveness between your team-mates is something I really enjoy. The Kookaburras team over the last four or five years have prided themselves on being disciplined and professional in our training and our results have paid off.

"There are also the different things hockey brings. It is a worldwide sport and we get to do a lot of travelling.

"I enjoy Europe; the Netherlands is a particular favourite as we were there for the Junior World Cup last year.

"It is definitely a place that I will go back to. Obviously my best sporting moment came in Athens so I really want to go to Athens again."

Another young player who already has a host of medals to her name is Dutchwoman Maartje Paumen, who is set to play in the Rabo Hockey Champions Trophy in Amstelveen.

Paumen won her first Champions Trophy aged 19 when the Dutch were triumphant in Rosario, Argentina, two years ago, and she added a second in Canberra in late 2005.

Now, two months short of her 21st birthday she will go looking for the hat-trick on home soil. Paumen is no stranger to winning titles, having claimed the league championship with Den Bosch while also helping her club again retain their European crown in Berlin in early June.

"I'm looking forward to the Champions Trophy," said Paumen, whose 11 goals helped the Netherlands to bronze at the Junior World Cup in Santiago last September.

"I have never had a tournament in Holland with the senior team and I think it will be really good to play in Amsterdam."

Although she has been around the senior side for a couple of years, it is only now she is really looking to secure her place on a more regular basis, having won 18 caps so far. But having made her debut at a relatively young age she has been happy just to enjoy the experience.

"It was a surprise to be selected for the seniors. I have always played in the youth teams and so I knew I always had a chance to go to the seniors but it (her debut) was very fast," she said.

"My whole family play hockey and I began when I was three or four years old and so it was always my ambition to play for the national team.

"I have always said I wanted to play at the Olympics because that is the highest level you can have and that is what I want."

Paumen admits that after years of tournaments and training camps, life as an international hockey star can sometimes be difficult.

"It is always hockey, hockey, hockey. You have to sacrifice a lot of things.

I train hard for my penalty corners and it was nice I scored so many goals at the Junior World Cup. Sometimes it is hard but you know what you are doing when you choose to play at the highest level," said the 20-year-old, who scored 14 times in the Dutch league last season.

"But the best thing is playing tournaments. You are with 20 people all working towards the same goal."