McCaw, Whitelock back in Black Sticks

Hockey greats Gemma McCaw and Kayla Whitelock have made shock returns from retirement and have been named in the Black Sticks’ squad preparing for next year’s Tokyo Olympics.

McCaw and Whitelock last played for the Black Sticks at the Rio Olympics in 2016 and have since started families.

National women’s coach Graham Shaw has named the pair and fellow returning players Julia King and Rachel McCann in his 26-player squad for the 2020 year, which has the Olympics as its main feature.

‘‘We have been lucky to welcome back Kayla and Gemma after they stepped away to start families,’’ he said on Wednesday.

‘‘We look forward to the invaluable experience that they will bring and the pivotal role they will play in helping our team towards our goal of medalling at the Olympic Games,’’ he said on Wednesday.

McCaw, the 246-cap Black Stick retired from the sport in October 2017 after playing in that year’s National Hockey League for Midlands.

Whitelock returned to Manawatu¯ club hockey in April. When she retired after Rio, she was the side’s second most capped player, with 255 matches.

Shaw has included a mix of the old hands and young newcomers in his squad, with Kaitlin Cotter (17) and Holly Pearson (21) included.

The side will again be led by Stacey Michelsen.

The Tour of Southland’s first Mexican rider made an emphatic statement at the midway point of this year’s race. Kia Motors-Ascot Park Hotel rider Eder Frayre holds a 28sec lead over Southland’s Corbin Strong, with defending champion Michael Vink trailing by 33sec after yesterday’s Queen stage, the 138km beat from Mossburn to the top of Coronet Peak, near Queenstown. Frayre launched a withering attack on the arduous 9km climb to the Coronet skifield, the rest of the peloton powerless to stop him as Christchurch’s Jake Marryatt crossed the line second and Strong headed home Vink for third place. Frayre arrived in Southland on the recommendation of 2009 winner Heath Blackgrove, who has been his team director for the past couple of years. The Coronet Peak stage was one Frayre had been looking forward to, and had discussed extensively with Blackgrove. ‘‘When they invited me here to race I looked at the stage profiles and when I arrived last week my team brought me here to see what it was like. I knew it could be a good day for me. I knew I had to attack early, because I like to do that.’’