Hockey has long been a sport that Australia excels at, particularly at Olympic level.
Both the men’s and women’s teams have medalled at numerous Olympic Games, and in 2024 they’ve got their eyes set on gold.
The Australian men’s hockey team
The men’s team, known as the Kookaburras, have continually been medal contenders at the Olympics over the years.
Hockey was first introduced to the games in 1908, but it wasn’t until the Melbourne Olympics in 1956 that the Kookaburras competed. The 1960s saw the Aussie men really put themselves on the map, and since then they have finished no lower than sixth place.
The Kookaburras won bronze medals at Tokyo 1964, Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000, Beijing 2008 and London 2012.
They went one step further to claim silver medals at Mexico City 1968, Montreal 1976, Barcelona 1992, and most recently Tokyo 2020.
The Australian men’s hockey team have only won a gold medal once – at the Athens 2004 Olympics, and 20 years later they had their eyes on the prize once again.
Leading the pack is captain Aran Zalewski, while flag bearer Eddie Ockenden is competing at his fifth games to become Australia’s most decorated hockey player. Here is the full team list for 2024:
- Joshua Beltz
- Tim Brand
- Andrew Charter
- Thomas Craig
- Matthew Dawson
- Blake Govers
- Jake Harvie
- Jeremy Hayward
- Edward Ockenden
- Flynn Ogilvie
- Lachlan Sharp
- Corey Weyer
- Jacob Whetton
- Tom Wickham
- Ky Willott
- Aran Zalewski
- Johan Durst (reserve)
- Nathan Ephraums (reserve)
- Tim Howard (reserve)
The Kookaburras were in Group Pool B, and came up against Argentina, Ireland, Belgium, New Zealand and India.
They won three of their matches which meant they qualified for the quarter finals, but unfortunately they lost against the Netherlands 2-0, ending their 2024 Olympic campaign.
The Australian women’s hockey team
The women’s team are referred to as the Hockeyroos, and they have an almost equally rich history at the Olympic Games.
Women’s hockey wasn’t introduced until the Moscow 1980 games, and Australia first competed in Los Angeles in 1984.
The Hockeyroos have won three gold medals at the Olympics, including at the Seoul 1988 games, Atlanta 1996 games, and in front of a home crowd at the Sydney 2000 Olympics.
The Australian women’s hockey team have been extremely consistent, finishing no lower than sixth place since their win in 2000.
The captain of the Hockeyroos in 2024 is Jane Claxton who is appearing at her third Olympics. The full team list is as follows:
- Alice Arnott
- Jocelyn Bartram
- Jane Claxton
- Claire Colwill
- Rebecca Greiner
- Steph Kershaw
- Amy Lawton
- Kaitlin Nobbs
- Brooke Peris
- Karri Somerville
- Penny Squib
- Grace Stewart
- Tatum Stewart
- Renee Taylor
- Mariah Williams
- Grace Young
- Madison Brooks (reserve)
- Aleisha Power (reserve)
- Hattie Shand (reserve)
The Hockeyroos were in Pool B at the Paris 2024 Olympics, and came up against South Africa, Great Britain, USA, Argentina, and India in the group stages.
They remained undefeated and topped their pool, meaning they progressed to the quarter finals. The Hockeyroos faced China on Monday 5 August, but heartbreakingly they lost 3-2, meaning their Olympic campaign came to an end.
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