Luciana Aymar

Infobox field hockey player
playername=Luciana Aymar


dateofbirth=Birth date and age|1977|8|10|mf=y
placeofbirth=Rosario, Argentina
dateofdeath=
height=1.72m
nickname="Lucha", "La Maga"
position=Attack
clubs= Rot Weiss Köln
Rugby Club Polo
Quilmes
GEBA
years= 1998
1999
2000-2007
2008-
caps(goals)=?(?)
?(?)
?(?)
nationalteam=Argentina Junior
Argentina
nationalyears=1997-1998
1998-
nationalcaps(goals)=?(?)
?(?)
olympicyears=2000-
olympicmedals=Silver(2000)
Bronze(2004)
Bronze(2008)
woman=yes
worldcupyears=1998-
worldcupmedals=Gold(2002)
Bronze(2006)
championsyears=2000-
championsmedals=Gold(2001)
Silver(2002)
Bronze(2004)
Silver(2007)
Gold(2008)
updated=17 July 2008

Luciana Paula Aymar (born on August 10, 1977 in Rosario) is an Argentine field hockey professional. She plays as an attacker, and is the only player to receive the "FIH World player of the year" award four times. She is known for her ability to beat opposing players using her strong "dribbling" skills, for which she has been compared with Argentine football (soccer) legend Diego Maradona [ [http://www.ole.clarin.com/jsp/v4/pagina.jsp?pagId=1282972&fecha=20061003 "La obra de arte llegó con yapa"] - "Diario Olé" es icon] .

"Lucha" Aymar started playing at age seven at the local "Fisherton Club" in Rosario, moving to "Jockey Club de Rosario" six years later. She began training with the junior national team, for which she had to travel every other day to Buenos Aires. In 1997 she was part of the side which won the Pan American Games Junior Championship, and a year later had her debut with the senior team, finishing fourth at the World Cup.

Aymar is part of a generation in Argentine hockey that has won several international tournaments from the 1999 Pan American Games on, including an Olympic silver medal, and two Champions Trophies.Nicknamed "La Maga" ("The Magician"), her outstanding performances have driven her to be chosen as the "FIH player of the year" four times, two more than hockey legend Alyson Annan.

Titles

Titles with the national or junior national teams unless otherwise specified.

*1997 - Gold medal at the Junior Pan American Games (held in Chile)
*1997 - Bronze medal at the Junior World Cup (Korea)
*1998 - "European club championship (with Rot Weiss Köln, from Germany)"
*1999 - Gold medal at the Pan American Games (Winnipeg, Canada)
*2000 - Silver medal at the Olympic Games (Sydney, Australia)
*2001 - Gold medal at the Champions Trophy (Amstelveen, Netherlands)
*2002 - Silver medal at the Champions Trophy (Macau, China)
*2002 - Gold medal at the World Cup (Perth, Australia)
*2003 - Gold medal at the Pan American Games (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic)
*2004 - Bronze medal at the Olympic Games (Athens, Greece)
*2004 - Bronze medal at the Champions Trophy (Rosario, Argentina)
*2006 - Bronze medal at the World Cup (Madrid, Spain)
*2007 - Silver medal at the Champions Trophy (Quilmes, Argentina)
*2008 - Gold medal at the Champions Trophy (Mönchengladbach, Germany)

Awards and distinctions

*2000 - Champions Trophy's player of the tournament
*2001 - FIH World's Best Player of the Year
*2001 - Champions Trophy's player of the tournament
*2004 - FIH World's Player of the Year
*2005 - FIH World's Player of the Year
*2005 - Champions Trophy's player of the tournament
*2007 - FIH World's Player of the Year
*2008 - Champions Trophy's player of the tournament

References

:* [http://www.worldhockey.org/vsite/vcontent/page/custom/0,8510,1181-126423-127730-17743-60163-custom-item,00.html "Luciana Aymar: The Hard Way to the Top"] - WorldHockey:* [http://www.fihockey.org/vsite/vcontent/content/transnews/0,10869,1181-18543-19728-28355-215658-9199-5039-layout75-19693-news-item,00.html "Aymar collects record third WorldHockey crown"] - FIH