Hockey legend Mark Knowles inducted into Sport Australia Hall of Fame
Hockey legend Mark Knowles continues to build on his legacy, six years after calling time on his elite-level playing career. Read about what he considers his ‘highest accolade’.
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The legacy of Central Queensland hockey legend Mark Knowles OAM continues to grow, six years after he called time on his elite-level playing career.
The 40-year-old has been inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame, which he described as the “highest accolade” he could possibly achieve as a sportsperson.
“It’s just an amazing honour for me,” Knowles said.
“I was certainly in a little bit of shock early.
“I kind of went back to ‘How does a boy from Rockhampton get an honour like this?’.”
It comes courtesy of one of the game’s greatest careers.
Knowles made 324 appearances for the Australian men’s hockey team, in his 16-year international career.
He played at four Olympics, winning a gold and two bronze medals.
As a member and then captain of the Kookaburras, he also won two World Cups, four Champions Trophies and four Commonwealth Games gold medals, the last of them in 2018 when he announced his retirement.
This most recent honour comes just a month after Knowles earned his place in Hockey Australia’s Hall of Fame.
His incredible journey started on the grass fields at Rockhampton’s Kalka Shades as an enthusiastic four-year-old.
“I’m as country as anyone,” Knowles said.
“I grew up just loving the sport, being influenced by my parents.
“I lived out my dream playing hockey, but I’ve been reflecting on how you can get yourself to a point like this at the end of your career and it’s just a very nice way to reflect.
“You’re striving for greatness on the field and you’re trying to always represent yourself and your family in the right way, and I guess this is a reward for all that hard work.”
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Originally published as Hockey legend Mark Knowles inducted into Sport Australia Hall of Fame
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