Hudson blazed inspiring trail
Toowoomba hockey great at home in Hall of Fame
THE world hockey fraternity and Australian sport fans at large need little reminding of the extraordinary achievements of Nikki Hudson OAM.
The former Toowoomba schoolgirl’s feats on the international hockey stage stamp her undeniably as one of Australia’s greatest all-time sportswomen.
But it is her off-field qualities as a role model and inspiration, as much as her playing abilities, that define the champion qualities of Hudson and make her a worthy inaugural inductee into the Toowoomba Sports Hall of Fame.
That honour will finally come Hudson’s way at a public dinner and presentation next Friday night at Cobb+Co Museum where she will join Arthur Postle, Tom Gorman and John McDonald as the city’s first hall members.
Hudson was spotted as a rising Toowoomba hockey star by legendary Australian coach Ric Charlesworth.
After debuting for the Hockeyroos as a 17-year-old in 1993, Hudson scored 99 goals in her role as an Australian striker.
She went on to become the first woman to play 300 international hockey matches for Australia and remains our country’s most capped Hockeyroo with 303 games next to her name.
The highpoint of her career came at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games where, as a member of the Gold Medal-winning Hockeyroos, Hudson finished top scorer at the tournament with six goals.
Hudson played for the Queensland Scorchers from 1993 to 2008.
She also represented
Australia at the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games, the 1998, 2002 and 2006 Commonwealth Games the Champions Trophy from 1995 to 2008. and World Cup in 1998, 2002 and 2006.
Hudson’s medal tally included an Olympic gold; a World Cup gold and sliver; three gold, a silver and three bronze at the Champions Trophy; two gold and a bronze at Commonwealth Games level.
Other achievements included captaining the World XI team in 2006.
Hudson was inducted into the Queensland Sport Hall of
Fame in 2012.
In 2013 she was named in the top 100 Australian Sportswomen Of All Time.
A 2018 Commonwealth Games hockey pitch at Runaway Bay has been named in her honour.
Hudson’s contribution to hockey in Australia continues to inspire those who follow and was best summed up by her fellow Toowoomba Hockeyroo Hope Munro upon her retirement in 2009.
“Nikki was not only an amazing leader on and off the field, she has been a great friend to so many
people,” Munro told The Chronicle.
“When I was growing up I aspired to be like her – I idolised her.
“I remember Nikki as probably being the first girl from Toowoomba to move to Perth to further her career.
“She set the standard in Toowoomba and showed so many others the way forward.
“But above everything, she is just a great person.”
Hudson’s achievements undoubtedly rate her alongside the best sporting representatives Toowoomba has produced.