Lars Balk

{{Infobox field hockey player

| name = Lars Balk

| image =

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1996|2|26|df=y}}

| birth_place = Vianen, Netherlands

| position = Defender / Midfielder

| currentclub = Kampong

| youthyears1 = 2001–2008

| youthclubs1 = MHC Vianen

| youthyears2 = 2008–2014

| youthclubs2 = Kampong

| years1 = 2014–

| clubs1 = Kampong

| nationalyears1 = 2014–2017

| nationalteam1 = Netherlands U21

| nationalcaps1 = 15

| nationalgoals1 = 0

| nationalyears2 = 2015

| nationalteam2 = Netherlands (indoor)

| nationalcaps2 = 12

| nationalgoals2 = 1

| nationalyears3 = 2016–present

| nationalteam3 = Netherlands

| nationalcaps3 = 122

| nationalgoals3 = 3

| medaltemplates =

{{MedalCountry|the {{NED}}}}

}}

Lars Balk ({{IPA|nl|ˈlɑrz ˈbɑl(ə)k}}; born 26 February 1996) is a Dutch professional field hockey player who plays as a defender or midfielder for Kampong and the Dutch national team.{{cite web |title=Lars Balk |url=https://hockey.nl/held/lars-balk/ |website=hockey.nl |accessdate=27 March 2019 |language=Dutch}}

Club career

Balk started playing hockey at the age of five at his local hockey club MHC Vianen.{{cite web |title=Lars Balk in hockeyselectie van Oranje |url=https://www.hetkontakt.nl/regio/vianen/sport/135450/lars-balk-in-hockeyselectie-van-oranje- |website=www.hetkontakt.nl |publisher=Het Kontakt |accessdate=27 March 2019 |language=Dutch |date=27 November 2017}} When he was 12 years old and wanted to play on a higher level, he switched to Kampong. He made his debut for the first team of Kampong when he was 17 years old.{{cite web |last1=Collewijn |first1=Sander |title=Lars Balk: de mug, het on-Nederlandse klootzakje van Oranje |url=https://hockey.nl/nieuws/oranje/lars-balk-de-mug-het-on-nederlandse-klootzakje-van-oranje/ |website=hockey.nl |accessdate=27 March 2019 |language=Dutch |date=9 November 2018}} Balk played in all four matches in the 2014–15 Euro Hockey League, where they were eliminated in the quarter-final. In his second Euro Hockey League, they reached the final and won the tournament.{{fact|date=July 2022}}

International career

Before Balk made his debut for the outdoor senior team, he played for the indoor team in the 2015 Indoor World Cup, where they won the gold medal.{{cite web |title=BALK Lars |url=https://tms.fih.ch/players/14336 |website=tms.fih.ch |publisher=International Hockey Federation |accessdate=27 March 2019}} He made his debut for the senior national team in January 2016 in a test match against Argentina.{{cite web |title=BALK Lars |url=https://tms.fih.ch/people/6429 |website=tms.fih.ch |publisher=International Hockey Federation |accessdate=27 March 2019}} After he was not selected in the 2017 EuroHockey Championship squad for the senior team, he played in the 2017 EuroHockey Junior Championship.{{cite web |title=Alexander Cox maakt EK-selectie Jong Oranje Heren bekend |url=https://hockey.nl/nieuws/jong-oranje-heren/alexander-cox-maakt-ek-selectie-jong-oranje-heren-bekend/ |website=hockey.nl |accessdate=27 March 2019 |language=Dutch |date=30 July 2017}} Balk played in all seven matches in the 2018 World Cup and scored one goal. They eventually reached the final, where they lost to Belgium.{{cite web|title=Belgium's Red Lions win Odisha Hockey Men's World Cup Bhubaneswar 2018|url=https://www.worldcup2018.hockey/men/news/belgiums-red-lions-win-odisha-hockey-mens-world-cup-bhubaneswar-2018__246|publisher=FIH|accessdate=27 March 2019|date=16 December 2018}} In June 2019, he was selected in the Netherlands squad for the 2019 EuroHockey Championship.{{cite web |title=Selectie Heren EK Hockey 2019 bekend |url=https://www.knhb.nl/nieuws/selectie-heren-ek-hockey-2019-bekend |website=www.knhb.nl |publisher=Koninklijke Nederlandse Hockey Bond |accessdate=9 August 2019 |language=Dutch |date=29 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190809085123/https://www.knhb.nl/nieuws/selectie-heren-ek-hockey-2019-bekend |archive-date=9 August 2019 |url-status=dead }} They won the bronze medal by defeating Germany 4–0.{{cite web |title=Hockeyers verslaan Duitsland weer en pakken brons |url=https://www.ad.nl/andere-sporten/hockeyers-verslaan-duitsland-weer-en-pakken-brons~a0b2c679/?referrer=https://news.google.com/ |website=www.ad.nl |publisher=Algemeen Dagblad |accessdate=24 August 2019 |language=nl |date=24 August 2019}}

References

External links

{{FIH}}
{{Olympedia}}
{{Olympics.com}}
[https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/athlete/lars-balk_1971905 Lars Balk] at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics
{{TeamNL|lars-balk|old_id=5839-lars-balk}}

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Category:1996 births

Category:Living people

Category:Dutch male field hockey players

Category:People from Vianen

Category:Field hockey players from Utrecht (province)

Category:Male field hockey defenders