Coach shares highs and lows of SA Men’s hockey performance in Toyko
TOKYO – Ewing’s greatest disappointment was the match against Belgium, where South Africa lost 4-9.
Head coach of the South African men’s hockey team Garreth Ewing said despite not progressing to the quarter-finals in the Olympics, knowing that the team can compete at a high level was rewarding.
The St John’s College head hockey coach said, “I have mixed feelings about the results in Tokyo. I think we played very well at times, but we aimed for the lofty goal of a quarter-final, so we didn’t get the outcome we wanted.”
The team was ranked second-last ahead of the tournament but managed to beat Germany (4–3) and draw against Canada (4–4) during the pool stages. They did, however, lose to Belgium (4–9), Netherlands (3–5) and Great Britain (1–3).
Ewing said the highlight of the event was their win against Germany and added that despite losing to the Netherlands, his team showed a great effort.
“I would have liked to have won our final match versus Canada, although the draw was still an exciting result.”
Ewing’s greatest disappointment was the loss against Belgium. “Conceding so many goals in that match was a disappointment, although they are one of the absolute best teams in the world right now.”
Ewing said he was proud to see the team perform at such a high level with some very talented individuals who chose the right moment to shine on a global stage.
Reflecting on the opportunity to compete in the Olympics, Ewing said, “I’m really happy for the players to see them start to live up to their potential. For me, it was a privilege to be able to work with them and see them turn a corner.”
Ewing said the Olympics taught him the importance of development levels of sport.
“Hopefully, I can take some of what I have learnt at the Olympics and take it back to the coaches and boys at St John’s.”
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