On the day the Olympic Flame arrives in the UK, the British Olympic Association (BOA) has announced the selection of the 100th athlete to Team GB, with the naming of the 16 athletes who will represent Team GB in women’s hockey at the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Since the 2008 Olympic Games, Team GB hockey athletes have won medals at eight major World or European competitions. The run of success includes England’s bronze medal victories in the World Cup, European Championships, Commonwealth Games and Champions Trophy, Scotland’s bronze medal at the Champions Challenge and European Championships II and Great Britain’s recent silver medal at the Champions Trophy.
The team will be looking to improve on their sixth place finish at the last Olympics in Beijing and inspire the nation by challenging for a medal in London this summer. They are currently ranked fourth in the world, having enjoyed a consistent rise up the rankings from 11th over the past six years under the leadership of Head Coach Danny Kerry.
“Words cannot describe how difficult it has been to make the final decision in selecting this squad,” Kerry said. “We have chosen what we feel is the best combination of players for the challenges of the Olympic Games.
“I want to offer my congratulations to those that have been selected who I know will do our squad proud in London. I also want to offer my most heartfelt commiserations to those that have not been selected – they have given everything.”
Great Britain won the Olympic test event at the Riverbank Arena in the Olympic Park earlier this month; beating world number two team Argentina in the final. Their fourth consecutive clean sheet meant GB have not conceded a goal in 280 minutes of hockey at the Riverbank Arena.
Team GB Women’s Hockey Captain Kate Walsh said: “I feel very honoured and privileged to have been selected to represent our squad at the London Olympic Games.
“We have progressed so far as a group over the last few years and I am looking forward to giving it everything we’ve got in front of jubilant home crowd.”
The selected athletes are:
- Ashleigh Ball
- Laura Bartlett
- Crista Cullen
- Alex Danson
- Hannah Macleod
- Emily Maguire
- Anne Panter
- Helen Richardson
- Chloe Rogers
- Beth Storry
- Sarah Thomas
- Georgie Twigg
- Laura Unsworth
- Kate Walsh
- Sally Walton
- Nicola White
Reserve athletes:
- Natalie Seymour
- Abi Walker
The addition of the 16 women’s hockey players brings the total number of athletes officially selected to Team GB for London 2012 to 101 across eight sport disciplines: archery, athletics – marathon, boxing, canoe slalom, hockey, sailing, swimming and synchronised swimming.
The athletes were formally nominated to the BOA for selection to Team GB by Great Britain Hockey, the National Governing Body for hockey in the UK.
Sportsister,
The Women’s Sports Magazine
