The Territory’s own Olympic silver medalist Jeremy Hayward proud of success in Tokyo

THE Territory’s very own Olympic silver medalist with the Kookaburras, Jeremy Hayward, credited his side’s pre-Olympics heat training in Darwin for their impressive campaign in Tokyo

THE Territory’s very own Olympic silver medalist with the Kookaburras, Jeremy Hayward, credited his side’s pre-Olympics heat training in Darwin for their impressive campaign in Tokyo.

Tokyo was the first Olympics for the 28-year-old, and he didn’t take the opportunity for granted, giving his all for his country every game.

The Kookaburras were unbeaten throughout the entire tournament up to the grand final against Belgium, who they lost to in an agonising shootout.

And while the loss of gold did hurt, Hayward is proud of his and his team’s efforts throughout the Olympics.

“To be a part of the Olympics was so special. You grow up wanting to represent your country and in hockey, the Olympics is the pinnacle,” Hayward said.

“It was amazing the event even went ahead considering the past few months, so it’s a big credit to the Japanese government and the IOC.

“Getting the silver is strange. In a team sport you lose gold and get silver so there’s a bit of hurt there to lose that final.

“But there has been so much support from family and friends back home afterward that has helped me realise how significant this medal is.”

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The Kookaburras started their campaign shaky, down 3-1 at halftime in their opener against Japan.

However, from there the Australian side stepped up beating Japan late. It remained unbeaten until the final, dispatching proud hockey nations Netherlands and Germany along the way.

One of the most interesting match-ups in the tournament was Jeremy’s face-off with brother Leon, the New Zealand keeper.

Jeremy Hayward in action during the Tokyo Olympics. (Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)

It was Jeremy’s Kookaburras that triumphed, winning 4-2, but for the brothers it was just like playing in the backyard when they were younger.

“It was both a weird and cool feeling to play against Leon on the big stage,” Hayward said. “It was like being back in the backyard in Leanyer playing against each other. It was a shame Mum and Dad weren’t able to come and watch.

“The whole tournament was a rollercoaster. We came in with six international games, all against New Zealand, so we didn’t know where we stacked up against the rest of the world.

“We were pretty shaky to begin with being down 3-1 to Japan at halftime in the opener (Australia went on to win 5-3). To turn that around and make the final was amazing and I’m proud of the team for doing so.

“In part it came down to our training in Darwin where we acclimatised to conditions similar to Tokyo, which gave us a fitness edge.”

Hayward is now quarantining in Perth and had planned to head back to Darwin afterwards to show off his medal to friends and family.

However, with continued lockdowns and an upcoming university commitment Hayward may have to postpone his return.

For Hayward, helping inspire and encourage the next generation of Territory hockey players is hugely important and something he wants to continue doing.

“Inspiring the next generation of Territorians is so important, particularly considering how much talent the Territory has given Hockey Australia,” he said.

“It’s not something I realise when I’m doing it but when it’s unreal to see the kids smile when I’m in Darwin and it’s something I want to continue to be a part of.”

Territory Hockeyroos’ star Brooke Peris also made her mark in the Olympics scoring in the 6-0 pool stage rout of China.

The Hockeyroos also enjoyed an unbeaten pool stage beating eventual finalists Argentina 2-0 but were delivered a shock 1-0 defeat to India in the quarter final.