After putting an outstanding performance in the Junior World Cup in South Africa, Mumtaz Khan the Indian forward won the FIH Women’s Rising Star of the Year on Tuesday. The Lucknow-based player scored eight goals in six matches she played during India's fourth-place finishing campaign in Potchefstroom in April.
The 19-year-old is in third place on the list of top scorers in the World Cup. In the crucial 2-2 tie in the bronze medal match against England, both the goals for India were scored by Mumtaz but it proved to be insufficient for getting over the line in the ensuing shootout at the fourth place.
"I cannot believe that I have won this award. It is the hard work of our entire team over the year that has paid off, and I dedicate the win to my team," Mumtaz said.
"I feel the award is a sign that the hard work that I have put over the past year on the training grounds has helped me improve a lot as a player. But this is just the beginning of my career. I wish to continue the learning process and will continue the hard work to improve upon my game”, she added.
Edging out Belgium’s Charlotte Englebert, Mumtaz won by a margin of only three points after votes were cast by experts (40%), fans (20%), teams (20%), and media (20%). With a total of 32.9 points, the young Indian finished first. In the second position, Engelbert stood at second position with 29.9 points. At the third position, Luna Fokke from the Netherlands stood with 16.9 points.