Carina Benninga
Encyclopedia
Carina Marguerite Benninga (born August 18, 1962 in Leiden, Zuid-Holland) is a former Dutch
field hockey
player, who played 158 international matches for The Netherlands hockey team
, in which she scored 25 goals. She was part of the gold medal
winning team at the 1984 Summer Olympics
and also won a bronze medal
at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Other highlights of her career include gold medals at the EuroHockey Nations Championship
and Champions Trophy
in 1987, as well as a gold at the 1990 Women's Hockey World Cup
, HGC
and Amsterdam
in the Dutch Hockey League. At the 1992 Summer Olympics
in Barcelona
she was the first woman from Holland to carry the flag at the opening ceremony.
Benninga became a hockey coach after her active career, and was in charge as assistant-coach for the United States
, head coach of Alecto
, Amsterdam and HC Klein Zwitserland
. Her older brother Marc
also played international field hockey.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
field hockey
Field hockey
Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
player, who played 158 international matches for The Netherlands hockey team
Netherlands women's national field hockey team
The Netherlands' national women's field hockey team is currently number two on the FIH world rankings and they are the 2006 world champions and reigning Olympic champions...
, in which she scored 25 goals. She was part of the gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
winning team at the 1984 Summer Olympics
1984 Summer Olympics
The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984...
and also won a bronze medal
Bronze medal
A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...
at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Other highlights of her career include gold medals at the EuroHockey Nations Championship
EuroHockey Nations Championship
The EuroHockey Nations Championship is an international men's and women's field hockey competition organised by the European Hockey Federation for the top eight European national teams. It is the top division of the EuroHockey Nations Championships...
and Champions Trophy
Champions Trophy (field hockey)
The Hockey Champions Trophy is the International Hockey Federation's most prestigious annual event . Founded by Pakistan's Air Marshal Nur Khan, it features the world's top-ranked teams competing in a round robin format. The Pakistan Hockey Federation started the competition as a men's tournament...
in 1987, as well as a gold at the 1990 Women's Hockey World Cup
Career
She is Jewish. At club level, she played for HDMHDM
HDM may stand for:*Holistic Data Management*Harvard Dictionary of Music*His Dark Materials, a trilogy of novels written by Philip Pullman*Help desk Manager*Hot dark matter, a form of dark matter...
, HGC
HGC (field hockey)
HGC is the acronym of the field hockey club H.O.C. Gazellen-Combinatie, which is located on the border of Wassenaar and The Hague in The Netherlands. The club was founded on September 22, 1906....
and Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
in the Dutch Hockey League. At the 1992 Summer Olympics
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...
in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
she was the first woman from Holland to carry the flag at the opening ceremony.
Benninga became a hockey coach after her active career, and was in charge as assistant-coach for the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, head coach of Alecto
Alecto
Alecto is one of the Erinyes in Greek mythology. According to Hesiod, she was the daughter of Gaea fertilized by the blood spilled from Uranus when Cronus castrated him. She is the sister of Tisiphone and Megaera...
, Amsterdam and HC Klein Zwitserland
HC Klein Zwitserland
HC Klein Zwitserland is a field hockey club from The Hague, Netherlands, which was founded on September 20, 1908. With 1.591 members – as of January 1, 2006 – it is the tenth club in the Netherlands...
. Her older brother Marc
Marc Benninga
Marc Alexander Benninga is a former Dutch field hockey player, who earned a total number of 53 caps, scoring no goals for the Netherlands national field hockey team in the 1980s and early 1990s....
also played international field hockey.