“Losing wasn’t an option”: How Great Britain successfully navigated the hockey Olympic qualifiers and what lies in store for them at Paris 2024
Both the women’s and men’s teams are through to Paris 2024 after their hockey qualification deciders came to an end in Valencia, Spain and Ranchi, India. However, the sternest challenges lie ahead for two sides with a golden history at the Olympic Games.
The field was almost set for the Paris 2024 women’s Olympic hockey tournament. Eleven of the 12 teams that will compete in France were known with just one more place up for grabs.
As Great Britain got ready to face Ireland, dreams were on the line. For the winner, joy and the prospect of securing the final berth at the next Olympics, in nigh on six months' time. For the loser, heartache and a four-year wait for the next opportunity to qualify, at LA 2028.
“Losing wasn’t an option,” Giselle Ansley told Olympics.com minutes after her nation secured that all-important final spot in the women’s tournament in Paris following a 2-1 victory over Ireland. “We said that to each other as we left the hotel earlier. We were not coming back here without winning, we were going to do whatever it took to win that game.”
The victory of Britain’s women in the third-place match of the Olympic hockey qualification tournament in Valencia represents a job well done for Team GB.
The men's team followed suit after reaching the final of their own qualification tournament, securing a 3-1 victory over New Zealand in Muscat, Oman.
The top three teams in each tournament received the hallowed ticket to Paris.
However, while this first goal has been achieved, much hard work lies ahead in the build-up to Paris 2024 where strong groups await both teams in the fast-changing world of international hockey.
GB women face challenging task as Paris 2024 groups revealed
“Hockey has changed a lot from the gold medal in Rio,” said Ansley, who played a key role in Britain’s women’s run to Olympic qualification and is herself an Olympic champion from 2016 and bronze medallist from Tokyo 2020.
“The sport itself is completely different, it’s so much quicker. It’s a very different team to then. We’ve got some unbelievably talented youngsters in our team and we’ve also got a real will to get better every day, so it’s an exciting team, that’s for sure.”
While the sport of hockey may have developed, GB women come into the Olympics with real pedigree. It was only eight years ago that Ansley and her British teammates won a surprise gold medal in Brazil, following it up with a podium finish at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, delayed to 2021.
However, the qualification tournament in Valencia, in which they lost to Spain in the pool stage and Belgium in the semi-finals, showed that they will need to be at their very best if they are to medal in the capital of France.
At the upcoming Games, Britain’s women will face continental champions Australia, Argentina and South Africa in pool B, as well as Spain, their conquerors in Valencia, and the USA, who powered through to the final of the qualification tournament in Ranchi, India to secure their spot at the Games.
If Britain were hoping for easy games, it doesn’t look like any await them in Paris.
The fact was emphasised by Ansley, whose memories of being part of the medal-winning sides at the last two Olympics have given her a unique insight into just what it takes to reach a podium at the Games.
“I think you saw from all our faces at the end there: one of relief but also happiness. We’ve had a successful couple of Olympics, so we know we’ve got a long way to go before we can go there and expect to stand on the podium,” she said.
GB men impress in qualifying but higher hurdles await
For Britain’s men’s team, the wait for hardware at the Olympic Games has been a long one. The last time they medalled was when they won gold at Seoul 1988, some 36 years ago.
However, recent form - including their run to the final of the Olympic Qualification tournament in Ranchi – has many at home dreaming about their prospects for Paris 2024.
Silvers in the EuroHockey Championships and the 2022-23 season of FIH Hockey Pro League were followed by this second place in the Olympic Qualification tournament.
And while the team would no doubt have enjoyed winning the final of the qualification tournament against Germany, the real prize had already been won with their impressive run to the title decider.
Three pool games saw them pick up a treble of wins, including a 6-1 victory over Pakistan, a 4-1 win against Malaysia and a 6-0 shutout against People’s Republic of China. Their 3-1 semi-final victory over New Zealand meant the free-scoring Brits ended the tournament with 19 goals for and only 4 against.
In Sam Ward, GB have an attacker in prolific form, his eight goals topping the scoring charts in the qualifying tournament by a margin of four. His skills, and those of fellow goalscorer Nick Bandurak will need to be on full display should the Brits have a chance to medal in Paris.
The team can now go into the last months before the Olympics brimming with confidence as they seek to navigate the challenges of a pool that has seen them drawn against Netherlands, Germany, Spain, France and South Africa.
But while now is a time for celebration, it is only the first step on a journey that the Brits hope will end on a Parisian podium in six months' time.