All the Argentines who won Rising Star of the Year
The Rising Star of the Year award given by the FIH It is a recognition of young players for their performances competing with their national teams, awarded since 2001. Argentina won it nine times.
Soledad Garcia won the award in 2002 and 2004, while María José Granatto She was the only Argentine who also won it twice, with the peculiarity that it was consecutive: in 2016 and 2017. The following year, Lucina Von Der Heyde was recognized by the Federation, positioning the country as one of the only two that won three times in a row, the other being Belgium in the men’s branch, with Arthur Van Doren (2016 and 2017) and Arthur de Sloover (2018).
In 2014 something happened that went down in the history books: Florencia Habif and Gonzalo Peillat They won the award in both categories, something that had only happened on two other occasions. Peillat was nominated in 2012 and 2013, while Habif was among the candidates in 2012, 2013 and 2016. In the last two years, Zoe Díaz and Milagros Alastra won the Rising Star for 2024 and 2025. Alastra received this award at the Under 21 World Championship, who was chosen as the best of the tournament and is considered the Rising Star of the year: Noor van den Nieuwenhof, from the Netherlands.
Other players of great renown in international hockey were recognized by the FIH as the best under-21 players, today being legends in their respective teams. Jamie Dwyer (Australia), Ashley Jackson (England), Tobias Hauke (Germany), Maria Verschoor and Maartje Paumen (Netherlands) and Anna Flanagan. In 2015, breaking the albiceleste streak, Lily Owsley won the award, and a year later she was Olympic champion in Rio.
In addition, there were other Argentines who, although they did not win, were nominated: Lucas Vila (2007), Maico Casella (2019), Bautista Capurro (2024), Josefina Sruoga (2009), Daniela Sruoga (2010), Agustina Albertario (2013), Julieta Jankunas (2019) and Valentina Raposo (2020/21).
