HOCKEY: Debutants and veteran members of the Australian Men’s Hockey team, the Kookaburras, have their eyes firmly set on gold at the end of their Road to Rio.
The 2016 Rio Games will hopefully mark the first of many Olympic campaigns for 23-year-old, Jacob Whetton, who was part of the 2014 Commonwealth Games winning side.
“The Commonwealth Games last year in Glasgow was a huge high, to win gold was something very special,” Whetton said.
The Brisbane-born forward, said playing in an Olympic Games will be a dream come true, and bringing home a gold medal would be an incredible personal achievement and a milestone for Australian Hockey.
“To win an Olympic gold medal would cap off something pretty amazing, not just personally but as a team and for this country.”
Meanwhile, Australian captain and dual Olympian, Eddie Ockendon is focused on making the 2016 Games, his third Olympics and to stand on the top of the podium.
After re-locating from hometown Hobart to Perth in 2006, Ockendon first made the Olympic side for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
“That was the start of my Olympic dream. I moved all the way to play for the Kookaburras and to try and make the Beijing team, it was something that I always wanted to do.”
After bringing home bronze medals at the Beijing 2008 and London 2012, Ockendon is determined to lead his team to a gold medal victory.
“I’ve been to two Olympics and won two bronze medals. It’s fantastic but it’s always that nagging feeling that we haven’t quite done as well as we could.”
Ockendon says that while 2016 will be a demanding year for the Kookaburra’s training schedule, the focus for 2015 is balancing hockey and other life commitments.
“We do something every day at the moment, except Sundays. During an Olympic year, we train more and at better times during the day. This year we have to train around work and study.”
The Kookaburras are currently training five times on the pitch per week in Perth and supplementing the ‘stick and ball’ work with three strength and conditioning sessions in the gym.
Whetton said he’s looking forward to facing many challenges over the next 18 months, and thinks the Kookaburras will come out as a force to be reckoned with, stating the team is aiming to win every tournament they play.
“We have a lot of work to do before Rio. Last year was such a big high for the Kookaburras, we’re now focused on getting stuck into training hard and looking forward to Rio.”
Ockendon says he will draw his inspiration for leadership over this Olympic campaign, from his personal favourite Australian Olympic moment, when the Kookaburras won at the 2004 Athens Games.
“I was quite young and I was aspiring to be an Olympian and a hockey player. That moment really drove home the importance of ambition for me.
“Obviously we want to win gold, we have a realistic chance which is great.”
The Kookaburras will play the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Malaysia in April ahead of their first opportunity to qualify for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the World League Semi Final tournament in Belgium in June.
Meanwhile the Australian Women’s Team, the Hockeyroos, will play a three-test series at Sydney Olympic Park against world no.5 China over Easter.
The world no.2 Hockeyroos have two opportunities to qualify for the 2016 Olympic Games. They must finish in the top three at the FIH World League Semi Final tournament in Antwerp, Belgium, in June or win the Oceania Cup in Stratford, New Zealand, in October.
Ashleigh Knight
Olympics.com.au
