Commonwealth Games 2022: Hockeyroos out for Tokyo, Gold Coast redemption
A teenage star is poised to announce herself on the global stage as the Hockeyroos target redemption for their last Olympic and Commonwealth Games misses in Birmingham.
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For the Hockeyroos Birmingham is all about redemption — a chance to make up for missed opportunities in Tokyo and letting the gold slip through their fingers at the last Commonwealth Games.
Selectors hope the youthful squad, boasting 12 Games debutantes, will help put the Hockeyroos back on top of the podium.
While it will be their first Commonwealth Games experience many of the debutants already have international caps, with the majority of the squad named in the team set to compete at the World Cup in Spain from July 1-17.
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The young players will be guided by Hockeyroos stalwarts Jane Claxton and Brooke Peris, who will become just the fourth and fifth Australian women hockey players to compete at three Commonwealth Games.
The Hockeyroos have claimed the gold medal in four of the six Commonwealth Games, since the sport was first included in 1998.
Denied a hat trick in the final against New Zealand on the Gold Coast four years ago and being knocked out in the quarterfinals in Tokyo, the Hockeyroos are looking to get back on top of the podium.
Debutant Madison Fitzpatrick, 25, has been part of the Australian team since 2015 and is itching for the chance to play in her first Commonwealth Games.
“The Commonwealth Games is very special to me, another opportunity to play for my country and promote the sport I love,” Fitzpatrick said.
“I most look forward to taking on England and New Zealand because they are always really solid hit-outs and high-quality games.
“Our new players are slotting in very well. The Commonwealth Games will be a big test for them, but they have the full support of the team and the coaches, so I know they will shine.”
Mackay’s Claire Colwill, 18, is on track to star for the Hockeyroos at the 2024 Olympics, after breaking into the team in March.
Colwill, who moved to Perth to prepare at the national hockey training base, is the only teenager in a side.
“I am thrilled to be selected for the Commonwealth Games and feel excited, albeit slightly daunted, to play with and against some of the greatest hockey players in the world,” she said.
“Having the opportunity to represent my country with pride is an unparalleled experience, so I cannot wait to pull on the green and gold.”
The Commonwealth Games run from July 28 to August 8.
AUSSIE SQUASH TEAM’S COMM GAMES ADVANTAGE
Selina Steele
Australia’s squash players will have home-court advantage at the Commonwealth Games next month.
The glass competition court last used on the Gold Coast in 2018 has been hired by the organisers of Birmingham 2022.
It is the same court used by multiple Games medallist Rachael Grinham, who will be officially named on Friday in her sixth Commonwealth Games team.
Covid’s disruption of global sporting events has helped to extend the 45-year-old Queenslander’s career, which boasts eight Commonwealth Games medals, including two golds.
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She will focus mixed and women’s doubles in Birmingham.
“If you’d asked me four years ago after Gold Coast Games would I be around for Birmingham — my answer would have been no but my body has held up and Covid has probably helped that,” she said.
“I came back to Australia 10 years ago to settle down and transition away from playing professionally but … I’ve never known not playing squash in my life and I still absolutely love the game and playing for Australia.
“To extend my career, I limit my time on the court to competitions … and I am just so thrilled to play another Commonwealth Games but not just play but to still be competitive — we are absolutely a chance of a medal in the women’s doubles.”
Grinham hopes the game’s booming popularity in the United States will help push for the sport to be included in the 2024 Olympics in Los Angeles.
Covid saw Australia’s only purpose-built transportable glass court cotton-balled until the call came from England.
The court, which takes nine days to set up, is on loan in Birmingham.
“This will actually be the first time they have been used since 2018, as Covid significantly impacted our ability to run national and international events,” Squash Australia chief executive Robert Donaghue said.
“We look forward to having the courts return to Australia, with plans to use them at iconic locations across the country to showcase our great sport, and provide world-class facilities and competitions in the build-up to the Victoria 2026 Commonwealth Games.”
AUSTRALIA’S SQUASH TEAM FOR BIRMINGHAM
Rachael Grinham, Donna Lobban, Zac Alexander, Rhys Dowling, Jessica Turnbull, Alexandra Haydon, Cameron Pilley, Ryan Cuskelly.
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