Three Welsh hockey players heading to Olympics

GREAT BRITAIN’S women and men have both secured their berths at the Paris 2024 Olympics through FIH Qualification tournaments held in Valencia and Muscat.

Welsh players Rupert Shipperley, Jacob Draper, and Sarah Jones were instrumental in GB’s journey to qualification.

The FIH qualification tournament marked Sarah Jones’ return to the GB matchday squad after a hamstring injury had sidelined her, preventing her participation in December’s Pro League series in Argentina.

In Spain, the women’s team finished second in their group to hosts Spain, securing a spot in the final four.

The GB women triumphed over Ireland 2-1 in the FIH qualifiers bronze-medal match, securing Olympic qualification alongside Spain and Belgium. Sarah Jones scored her fifth international goal for GB, earning herself the player of the match award.

Meanwhile, the GB men showcased dominance in their Olympic qualifying campaign in Oman, tallying 16 goals in their opening three pool matches against Pakistan, Malaysia, and China. They clinched a spot in Paris after defeating New Zealand 3-1 in the semifinals.

Despite their formidable performance, the men’s team settled for the silver medal after narrowly losing to Germany 1-0 in the final of the World Championships.

“It was quite an eventful tournament, especially with a significant fall in the first match, but I’m thrilled we managed to pull through and secure qualification for the Olympics later this year. Bring on Paris!” said Jones, who contributed to GB’s bronze medal win at the 2020 Games in Tokyo.