The 12 best teams (men’s and women’s) from around the world are converging in Paris as we countdown to the final few days till the start of the Hockey competition at the Olympic Games Paris 2024! Each team comes with the aim of standing on the Olympic podium, while only one can claim the gold medal at the end of the Games.
The first obstacle for all teams in the event come in the form of their pool opponents. The 12 teams have been split into two pools of 6 teams each, with the top four teams from each pool qualifying for the quarterfinals. In today’s preview, meet the teams in Pool B of the women’s competition, and find out the unique playing styles they will bring to Paris.
Australia
Between 1994 and 2000, Australia were by far and away the best team on the planet, claiming two Olympic gold medals and two World Cups as the team coached by Ric Charlesworth and inspired by the attacking brilliance of Katrina Powell, the current head coach, and Alyson Annan, now in charge of Olympic rivals China – ruled the hockey world. With three Olympic titles and top six finishes at every Games since debuting at Los Angeles 1984, the Hockeyroos are always a dangerous side on this greatest of sporting stages.
Having achieved a bronze medal at the 2022 FIH Women’s World Cup and booked their Olympic ticket by winning the Oceania Cup 2023, Powell’s Australia will believe that they can achieve big things at Paris 2024. The team recorded some notable results in the lead up to the Games, including FIH Hockey Pro League victories over Argentina and Great Britain, the respective silver and bronze medallists at the delayed Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.
The co-captaincy team of Brooke Peris, Kaitlin Nobbs, Jane Claxton, and Grace Stewart are all outstanding performers for the Aussies, with Mariah Williams, Maddy Fitzpatrick, rising star Amy Lawton and goalkeeper Jocelyn Bartram all capable of producing match-winning contributions to the cause.
Head Coach Katrina Powell: “Our squad is in a really good space at the moment. They’re unified and excited to go. We talk about the history and legacy and how much that intensifies once you get to an Olympics and they’re super proud to be representing the Hockeyroos. We tested ourselves with high-quality matches in Australia against Australia A. They are always tough and I’m impressed with the consistency in our performances leading into these Games. The combination of this group and the strengths within it are our biggest advantage heading into Paris. There are different strengths with each of the players and they offset and balance each other out nicely.”
Argentina
‘Las Leonas’ (The Lionesses) have long been considered as one of the world’s most fearsome attacking teams and are undisputedly a true powerhouse of the game. The 14 times Pan American continental champions have achieved remarkable things on the global stage, winning two World Cups, seven Champions Trophy titles and one FIH Hockey Pro League. Despite all this success, their quest for Olympic gold is still ongoing.
While the big prize has so far eluded them, their Olympic record is still hugely impressive, claiming three silver and two bronze medals from their eight Olympic campaigns. They confirmed a place at a ninth Olympic Games thanks to a gold medal at the Pan American Games 2023 in Santiago (CHI), defeating Uruguay, Trinidad & Tobago, Canada and USA twice, both in the pool phase and gold medal match. Drag-flicking defender Agustina Gorzelany scored 11 times in five matches, including the opener in the title match against the Americans before Eugenia Trinchinetti’s field goal sealed a 2-1 victory.
Argentina arrive at Paris 2024 in excellent form, finishing third in the 2023-24 edition of the FIH Hockey Pro League. The team recorded seven wins and a drawing in last eight matches, results which will have delighted head coach Fernando Ferrara – who represented Argentina’s men at the Seoul 1988, Barcelona 1992 and Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games – ahead of his team’s shot at Olympic glory.
With a squad blessed with masses of talent such as livewire attacker Maria Granatto, vastly experienced team captain Rocio Sanchez, rising defensive star Valentina Raposo and prolific penalty corner ace Gorzelany, Argentina are genuine title contenders.
Head Coach Fernando Ferrara: “We are going to try to transfer everything we trained and everything we did in this process to the field, with calm and confidence, and from there we hope to get the results. The girls are close and support each other a lot, that is the most important plus of all, beyond the technical and tactical part and the quality of play that they have, that is what can make the difference. What we are sure of is that we will give our 110 percent to try to return to Argentina with the best.”
Great Britain
Having secured Olympic gold at Rio 2016 and bronze at both London 2012 and Tokyo 2020, Great Britain’s women have an outstanding recent Olympic history and will be targeting a fourth successive podium finish at Paris 2024. Their form ahead of the Games has been somewhat mixed, with a seventh-place finish in the 2023-24 season of the FIH Hockey Pro League being far below their own very high expectations. While GB won just three of their 16 Pro League matches, head coach David Ralph used the competition to look at 28 different players ahead of naming his team for Paris.
Thirteen of the squad that secured the Olympic ticket at January’s FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifier in Valencia (ESP) – where they defeated Ireland 2-1 in the bronze medal match – have been selected for this year’s Olympiad. These include team captain Hollie Pearne-Webb and Laura Roper (née Unsworth), both Olympic gold medallists from Rio 2016 and two of the finest defenders around. Lily Owsley, who also won gold in Rio, and Hannah French (née Martin) are both huge attacking threats thanks to their electrifying speed and skills. Striker Tess Howard is another key player, capable of producing match-winning moments in front of goal. With a squad packed full of quality and experience, Great Britain are more than capable of getting amongst the medals at Paris 2024.
Head Coach David Ralph: “The GB women’s squad has a long history at the Olympic Games, and we now have the opportunity to create our own history. This is our moment and our chance to create memories for life. We are excited about getting to Paris and enjoying the experience of the Games environment before we get started with our first group game on Sunday 28 July.”
Spain
At Barcelona 1992, Spain’s women made an unforgettable Olympic debut by winning the gold medal on home soil. Their stunning performance shocked the hockey world, something they will be aiming to do at Paris 2024, their eighth Olympic appearance.
The Red Sticks have already enjoyed a fruitful 2024, starting with their successful qualification for the Paris Olympics on home soil in Valencia at the start of the year. Victories over Malaysia, Great Britain and Canada confirmed their place in the semi-finals, where a shoot-out victory over Ireland confirmed a top three finish and their ticket to Paris.
The team were back in action in June at the FIH Hockey Women’s Nations Cup, also hosted by Spain in Terrassa, where the team took the gold medal to seal promotion to next season’s FIH Hockey Pro League. Tournament top scorer Lola Riera netted six goals to help her side to five wins out of five, twice defeating Ireland as well as Korea, Italy and Chile.
Riera is a key player for the Red Sticks, being one of four Paris-bound players with over 200 caps alongside Beatriz Perez and co-captains Maria Lopez (249) and Xantal Gine.
Team Captain Xantal Giné: “We are very excited about the challenge that lies ahead of us. We have worked very well in recent months and winning the Nations Cup has given us a lot of confidence to face the Olympics.”
United States
After failing to qualify for Tokyo 2020, USA make a welcome return to the Olympic stage thanks to a brilliant second place finish at January’s qualification event in Ranchi (IND).
The 1984 Olympic bronze medallists started the Ranchi qualifier with a superb 1-0 victory over hosts India thanks to an open play strike from Abigail Tamer. It was the first of four successive wins, defeating Italy and New Zealand before recording a 2-1 triumph over Japan in their semi-final to guarantee a top three finish and their ticket to Paris.
The USA’s first attempt at Paris qualification ended in heartbreak, with the team finishing as silver medallists at the Pan American Games 2023 in Santiago (CHI). Victories against Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay and host nation Chile to reach the competition final where their hopes were ended by Argentina, who won the match 2-1 to snatch the gold medal.
The USA squad for Paris is packed full of youthful promise, the average age being 24 and a caps average of just 57. Twenty-nine-year-old team captain Amanda Golini (née Magadan) and 27-year-old midfielder Ashley Hoffman are the only athletes to have surpassed the 100 caps milestone.
They are coached by David Passmore, a man with a fine pedigree who gained huge experience with the England and Great Britain set-up before getting heavily involved in Irish hockey over the past decade.
Team Captain Amanda Golini: “The team is excited. We’ve just finished a hard final training block to prepare and we’re looking forward to the competition. Anything can happen at the Olympics and especially in tournament hockey— that’s why we play sport— the unknown makes sport exciting. Being aware of that fact is important, but as we head into the Games, our team is focused on our process and preparation.”
South Africa
South Africa have been the dominant force of African hockey for decades, having claimed seven African continental championships as well as five African Olympic qualification events.
The team secured a berth at a sixth Olympic Games by winning the qualification event on home soil in Pretoria at the tail end of 2023, recording overwhelming victories over Zimbabwe 10-0, Nigeria (4-0) and Ghana (7-0) to reach the competition final where they faced Nigeria for a second time. Once again, South Africa proved too good for their opponents, running out 9-0 winners to take the Olympic ticket.
The South Africa squad that will compete at Paris 2024 features six athletes that took part at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, with Quanita Bobbs, Celia Seerane, Edith Molikoe, Kristen Paton, Onthatile Zulu and Erin Christie all being selected. Their squad also contains both the oldest and youngest players in the women’s hockey competition, with 37-year-old Dirkie Chamberlain – an Olympian from London 2012 – and perfectly named 17-year-old Paris-Gail Isaacs both set to compete.
The team is coached by Giles Bonnet, who represented South Africa as a player at the 1994 Men’s World Cup and has also held the top coaching positions with Belgium men and Canada women.
Team Captain Quanita Bobbs: “Feeling very optimistic about the Olympic Games. We’ve been preparing really hard to compete against the best in the world. We look forward to the challenge ahead, and we are very excited to show the world what the South African Women’s Hockey team is all about.”
by Asia Hockey
