Paul Litjens

Paul Litjens was a Dutch field hockey player, born on 9 November 1947 and died on 13 December 2023. He won 177 caps for the Netherlands national team and scored 268 goals, an international record that stood from 1982 until 2004. A penalty corner specialist who played for clubs in Uden and Zaanstad before joining HC Kampong of Utrecht, he belonged to the Dutch side that became world champion in 1973 and played at the 1972 and 1976 Summer Olympics, where the Netherlands finished fourth both times. He was the top scorer at the 1976 Olympic tournament and at the 1981 Champions Trophy in Karachi, which the Dutch won, and he later served as a brand ambassador for the hockey equipment maker Rucanor.