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Al-Ahram Weekly 4 - 10 November 1999 Issue No. 454 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 4 - 10 November 1999 Issue No. 454
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Features Profile Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Girl with a wicked shot
By Abeer Anwar
Alyson Annan, for years regarded as the "top" female hockey player in the world, has cemented her reputation after officially winning the actual title this year. The Australian forward, 26, has been mesmerising the opposition with her passing skills -- capable of cutting-off any opposition -- ever since she took up the sport at the age of 10.
Australia's Alyson Annan
"I am very happy with this honour especially since it came as a surprise," Annan said of her crowning. "I thank my coach and all the people who helped me to reach such a position."
A key contributor to the many championships won by the Australian women's hockey team in recent years, Annan's credits include four Champions Trophy gold medals, two World Cup gold medals, one Olympic gold medal in the 1996 Atlanta Games, one Commonwealth Games gold medal in 1998, one junior World Cup silver medal in 1993 and one gold medal in the 1996 Indira Gandhi Gold Cup.
In addition to her contributions to the Australian team effort, Annan has earned numerous individual honours over the years. She was the top goal scorer at the 1999 Champions Trophy in Brisbane, as well as in the 1998 World Cup -- where she was selected 'Player of the Tournament'.
Annan, who can sink a ball into the net with a strike from any position, started playing hockey with the Aussie club New South Wales' (NSW) 'Balsam Pacific Arrows' -- where she played 192 matches and scored 143 goals. She was selected to the Australian team in June 1991, playing in a test series against Korea in Hobart and Melbourne. A member of the victorious NSW Arrows in the 1993, 1996 and 1998 Telstra Six Series National Hockey League, she was also named 1996 and 1997 Telstra Player of the Year. While her awards and records are many, she made history at the 1998 Commonwealth Games when she became Australia's highest-ever goal scorer with 110 goals.
This being her first visit to Egypt, Annan said she was fascinated with the weather and the hospitality of the Egyptians. "The pitch is very nice and I was very enthusiastic to play on it in such nice weather and among the Egyptians whom I love very much," she said, adding that she would not hesitate to accept if she received another invitation to play in Egypt.
