WHEN the South African men’s hockey team set foot onto Oi Hockey Stadium in Tokyo last month, it had been nine years since a national team had played on an Olympic pitch.
While much has changed in world hockey, what has not has been the determination and drive of the coaching staff and players. That dogged determination and belief showed as the team pulled off a sensational victory against the fifth best team in the world, Germany. The team also pushed the Netherlands close and drew with Canada in their final pool game.
In all, the men’s team finished fifth in Pool B with four points – three losses, a win and a draw – from their five matches.
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For Durban North resident and SA player, Taine Paton, the performances of the team showed the progress the national team had made.
“I think it was important for us to show that we are not the random underdogs and the results reflected that. Beating Germany was massive for us and I felt the boys really pushed through and stepped up in that game. We showed heart in all of our games but that result will go down as one of the national team’s biggest wins at the Olympics. I feel extremely confident about the team’s chances in future tournaments and it’s an exciting period for the men’s team. I think we all know we need to beat the best teams in the world to progress and our goal is to do just that,” Paton said.
“As a team we’ve worked really hard to find the right combinations and the bond, both on and off the field, is the strongest it has ever been. We may not have had the best preparation leading up to Tokyo due to the Covid-19 pandemic but there is no doubt that this group is something special.”
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