Vincent Vanasch

{{Infobox field hockey player

| name = Vincent Vanasch

| image = Vincent Vanasch.jpg

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1987|12|21|df=y}}

| birth_place = Evere, Belgium

| height = 1.80 m

| weight = 78 kg

| position = Goalkeeper

| currentclub = Orée

Soorma HC

| youthyears1 = 1994–2004

| youthclubs1 = White Star

| years1 = 2004–2007

| clubs1 = White Star

| years2 = 2007–2009

| clubs2 = Pingouin

| years3 = 2009–2010

| clubs3 = Leuven

| years4 = 2010–2014

| clubs4 = Waterloo Ducks

| years5 = 2014–2016

| clubs5 = Oranje Zwart

| years6 = 2016–2020

| clubs6 = Waterloo Ducks

| years7 = 2020–2023

| clubs7 = Rot-Weiss Köln

| years8 = 2023–present

| clubs8 = Orée

| years9 = 2024-present

| clubs9 = Soorma HC

| nationalyears1 = 2007–present

| nationalteam1 = Belgium

| nationalcaps1 = 273

| nationalgoals1 = 0

| medaltemplates =

{{MedalCountry|{{flagu|BEL}}}}

}}

Vincent Vanasch (born 21 December 1987) is a Belgian professional field hockey player who plays as a goalkeeper for Orée and the Belgium national team.

Club career

Vanasch has been involved in hockey from an early age; his father "Jean" created the youth school of the "Royal Evere White Star Hockey Club". He did all his classes until the first team with which he won several titles (grass and indoor). When the club got relegated to Division 1, at the end of the 2006{{endash}}2007 season, he went to play at the "Royal Penguin Hockey Club Nivellois". He played for two seasons before getting a transfer to KHC Leuven. From the 2010{{endash}}2011 season onwards, he started playing for the Waterloo Ducks. In 2014, he made a transfer to the Netherlands to Oranje Zwart.{{cite web |last1=van der Giessen |first1=Arjan |title=Oranje Zwart legt topkeeper Vanasch vast |url=https://www.omroepbrabant.nl/nieuws/173592/Oranje-Zwart-legt-topkeeper-Vanasch-vast |website=omroepbrabant.nl |publisher=Omroep Brabant |access-date=15 April 2019 |language=nl |date=26 March 2014}} He played there until 2016, when he returned to the Waterloo Ducks.{{cite web |last1=Liebrand |first1=Anneke |title=OZ-keeper Vincent Vanasch keert terug naar België |url=https://www.ed.nl/overig/oz-keeper-vincent-vanasch-keert-terug-naar-belgie~ad2764d2/ |website=ed.nl |publisher=Eindhovens Dagblad |access-date=15 April 2019 |language=nl |date=1 March 2016}}

In the 2018–19 Euro Hockey League, Vanasch's Waterloo Ducks became the first Belgian club to win the Euro Hockey League.{{cite web |title=Waterloo Ducks winnen Euro Hockey League na 4-0-winst tegen Köln |url=https://www.hln.be/sport/meer-sport/waterloo-ducks-winnen-euro-hockey-league-na-4-0-winst-tegen-koln~afe297fc |website=hln.be |publisher=Het Laatste Nieuws |access-date=22 April 2019 |language=nl |date=23 April 2019}}{{cite web |title=Waterloo Ducks in EHL heaven with remarkable 4–0 grand final success in Eindhoven |url=https://ehlhockey.tv/news/waterloo-ducks-in-ehl-heaven-with-remarkable-4-0-grand-final-success-in-eindhoven/ |website=ehlhockey.tv |publisher=Euro Hockey League |access-date=23 April 2019 |date=22 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190422194754/https://ehlhockey.tv/news/waterloo-ducks-in-ehl-heaven-with-remarkable-4-0-grand-final-success-in-eindhoven/ |archive-date=22 April 2019 |url-status=dead }} In January 2020, it was announced he would play for Rot-Weiss Köln in Germany from the 2020–21 season onwards.{{cite web |title=Red Lions-doelman Vincent Vanasch kiest voor Duits avontuur |url=https://www.hln.be/sport/meer-sport/red-lions-doelman-vincent-vanasch-kiest-voor-duits-avontuur~a18c421a/ |website=hln.be |publisher=Het Laatste Nieuws |access-date=7 January 2020 |language=nl |date=6 January 2020}} After three Bundesliga titles in three years he returned to Belgium and signed a three-year contract at Orée.{{cite web |title=Vincent "The Wall" Vanasch keert terug naar Belgische hockeycompetitie |url=https://sporza.be/nl/2023/05/19/vincent-the-wall-vanasch-keert-terug-naar-belgische-hockeycompetitie~1684472491035/ |website=sporza.be |publisher=Sporza |access-date=8 September 2023 |language=nl |date=19 May 2023}}

International career

At the 2012 Summer Olympics, Vanasch competed for the national team in the men's tournament.{{cite web|title=Vincent Vanasch|url=http://www.london2012.com/athlete/vanasch-vincent-1129024/|website=London2012.com|publisher=The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Limited|access-date=13 September 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120911211556/http://www.london2012.com/athlete/vanasch-vincent-1129024/|archive-date=11 September 2012}} Vanasch won the silver medal with Belgium at the 2013 European Championship on home ground in Boom. At the 2016 Summer Olympics, he was part of the Belgian team who won the silver medal.{{citation needed|date=July 2022}}

In 2017, Vanasch was named the FIH Goalkeeper of the Year.{{cite web | url=http://www.fih.ch/events/hockey-stars-awards/hockey-stars-2017/news/2017-hockey-stars-award-winners-announced-in-berlin | title=2017 Hockey Stars Award winners announced in Berlin | date=5 February 2018 | publisher=International Hockey Federation | access-date=15 April 2019 }} At the 2018 Hockey Stars Awards he was named the FIH Goalkeeper of the Year for the second time in a row.{{cite web |title=De Goede & Van Doren named Players of the Year in 2018 FIH Hockey Stars Awards |url=http://fih.ch/events/hockey-stars-awards/hockey-stars-2018/news/de-goede-van-doren-named-players-of-the-year-in-2018-fih-hockey-stars-awards/ |website=fih.ch |publisher=International Hockey Federation |access-date=14 February 2019 |date=14 April 2019}} At the 2019 EuroHockey Championship, where Belgium won its first European title,{{cite web |title=Goud in eigen land! De Red Lions winnen na het WK nu ook het EK |url=https://sporza.be/nl/matches/hockey/2019-08/mf-ek-hockey-finale-mannen-belgie-spanje/ |website=sporza.be |publisher=Sporza |access-date=25 August 2019 |language=nl |date=26 August 2019}} he was named the goalkeeper of the tournament.{{cite web|url=http://www.belfiuseurohockey.com/en/news/article.html?Article_ID=867496|title=Brilliant Belgium win their first ever European Championship crown|publisher=belfiuseurohockey.com|date=24 August 2019}} In December 2019, he again was nominated for the FIH Goalkeeper of the Year Award.{{cite web |title=Manpreet Singh nominated for FIH Player of the Year award |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/hockey/top-stories/manpreet-singh-nominated-for-fih-player-of-the-year-award/articleshow/72402371.cms |work=The Times of India |access-date=7 December 2019 |location=Lausanne |date=6 December 2019}} On 11 February 2020, he was awarded his third FIH Goalkeeper of the Year Award.{{cite web |title=Vincent 'The Wall' Vanasch opnieuw beste hockeydoelman ter wereld |url=https://sporza.be/nl/2020/02/11/vincent-vanasch-doelman-van-het-jaar-hockey/ |work=Sporza |access-date=11 February 2020 |language=nl |date=11 February 2020}} On 25 May 2021, he was selected in the squad for the 2021 EuroHockey Championship.{{cite web |title=Selectie Red Panthers en Red Lions voor het Europees Kampioenschap aangekondigd |url=https://hockey.be/nl/selectie-red-panthers-en-red-lions-voor-het-europees-kampioenschap-aangekondigd/ |website=hockey.be |access-date=25 May 2021 |language=nl |date=25 May 2021}}