Eddie’s dreams on hold
TASMANIA’S three-times hockey Olympian Eddie Ockenden’s role as Kookaburras captain has gone to a higher level as he leads the Australian men’s hockey team on a new path to the Tokyo Olympic Games next year.
The postponement of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics because of the coronavirus pandemic was no shock to Ockenden by the time it was announced two weeks ago.
It came soon after the Perth-based 32-yearold from Hobart reached a major milestone in his career, equalling Jamie Dwyer’s Kookaburras record of 365 games when the Australians played Olympic champion Argentina in Perth on March 7.
Ockenden said he would take on an elevated leadership role off the field as well as on it while the Kookaburras recalibrated their road to Tokyo in July 2021.
“When it comes to advice around the Olympics, it’s good to hear from the senior players and your leaders,” Ockenden said. “But we are in a totally new world now, it’s completely different for all of us, so I think we are also leaning on each other a lot.”
Ockenden has two Olympic medals — bronze from Beijing in 2008 as the youngest member of the Kookaburras, and bronze from London in 2012. His medal cabinet also has gold from four Oceania titles, two World Cups, two World League titles and seven Champions Trophy crowns.
“We work really hard over four years to prepare for the Olympic Games so it was disappointing it had to be postponed but we now look toward next year,” Ockenden said.
“It’s hard to take when you have such a big goal in front of you and a huge opportunity.
“But ... we want to make sure we look after everybody and that everyone can be safe.”