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Dutch men know the competition will be tough
As Olympic gold medal defenders and reigning world champions, the Dutch men's hockey team is the favorite to take gold at Sydney this year, as long as they don't become too overconfident. "Four years ago we were a favorite, but now we are the big favorite because we are the Olympic Champion and World Cup holder," says striker Teun de Nooijer. "Everybody is looking at us, so there will be more pressure that four years ago. But I am confident. We train a lot and hard. We will be fit. What more can we do?" Earlier this year, the Dutch took the third most important competition in the hockey calendar, the Champions Trophy. And 10 of the 11 core players were on the gold medal team in Atlanta. Is another gold medal a foregone conclusion? "I think we have a good chance to win the medal, and also to get a gold medal, but it is difficult," says team captain Stephan Veen. "It is quite a good competition among four, five, six teams. They are in very good shape. We played South Korea and that was very tough. Everybody expects a lot from us, but the difference will be very small in Sydney." The men's field hockey competition begins September 16th.
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