The Hockeyroos aim to refine their defensive strategy after narrowly escaping a South African challenge with a 2-1 win in their opening Olympic match. Ranked fifth in the world, the Australians faced an early scare against the 18th-ranked South African team and could have found themselves trailing by more than 1-0 at the quarter mark under the sunny skies of Stade Yves-du-Manoir.
However, the inspirational play of attacking midfielder Stephanie Kershaw, a bit of luck, and composed performance in the final quarter helped set their path for the Paris games.
“I think we’ve gotten rid of our nerves,” Kershaw remarked. “We didn’t respond as quickly as we would have liked, but we improved as the game went on. We were excited to play and trying to channel that nervous energy. There’s still more potential in us, but we accomplished what we set out to do.”
As three-time Olympic champions, the Hockeyroos have not made it to the semi-finals since securing their last title in Sydney 24 years ago.
In contrast, the European champions Spain showcased their strength as they bested the Australians 9-5 in the men’s Olympic water polo. Despite an encouraging start from Australia in their Group B opener, where they kept the pressure on and only trailed by one goal late in the first half, Spain secured a pivotal goal just before halftime and followed it up with two more in the second half, effectively ending Australia’s hopes.
Australia’s aspirations for a medal in the team eventing competition faded when one of the horses suffered a lameness issue during the cross-country phase at the stunning Chateau de Versailles course.
Kevin McNab, a member of the silver medal-winning team from Tokyo three years ago, made the decision to withdraw his mount, Don Quidam, in the middle of his round after sensing a problem. The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) has assured that the horse is expected to fully recover.
The withdrawal of one of the trio’s horses meant that the Australian team members—McNab, Shane Rose, and Chris Burton—could not replicate their past performance in Japan, as the 200-point penalty for retirement eliminated any chance of them contending for a team medal in the showjumping finale on Monday.
