Jane Claxton, Brooke Peris, Kaitlin Nobbs, and Grace Stewart will serve as the four co-captains of the 16-member Australian women’s hockey team at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The Hockeyroos squad was officially announced by the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) on Monday.
Among the 16-woman squad, four players will be participating in their third Summer Games, while six others will be making their Olympic debut in Paris.
Within the squad, there are also notable family connections to Olympic hockey. For instance, Kaitlin Nobbs comes from a family of Olympic hockey athletes, and Brooke Peris is the cousin of Nova Peris, a member of the gold medal-winning Hockeyroos team from the Atlanta 1996 Olympics.
Two-time Olympian Brooke shared her excitement about heading to her third Olympics, saying, “It hasn’t quite sunk in yet! It’s been a big journey and I’ve loved every moment. I have a really good feeling about it this time around, we’re in such a good place and I’m very excited.”
“I feel like we have a really solid mixture of experience with the girls that are coming through who are fresh and vibrant and they just bring so much flair to our game. I’m very grateful that I get to be part of this team and we’re just ready to go,” she added.
The Hockeyroos have already shown their strength this season with impressive wins over Tokyo 2020 medallists Argentina and Great Britain.
As they prepare for Paris 2024, the Hockeyroos are placed in Pool B alongside Argentina, Great Britain, Spain, the USA, and South Africa.
Head coach Katrina Powell expressed confidence in the selected squad, stating, “This is our best 16 players who we believe will give us the best chance of being successful in Paris. There’s good versatility in there, they provide flexibility and the versatility that’s required for the structure of an Olympic Games.”
Maddison Brooks, Aleisha Power, and Hattie Shand have been named as the travelling reserves for the Australian women’s hockey team, serving as potential replacement athletes in case of injury or other withdrawal.
To date, the Australian women’s hockey team has secured three Olympic medals, with gold wins at Seoul 1988, Atlanta 1996, and Sydney 2000.
Field hockey at Paris 2024 is scheduled to take place between July 27 and August 9 at the Stade Yves-du-Manoir.
Australia’s Paris 2024 women’s hockey team
Goalkeeper: Jocelyn Bartram
Defenders: Kaitlin Nobbs, Karri Somerville, Penny Squibb, Tatum Stewart
Midfielders: Jane Claxton, Claire Colwill, Rebecca Greiner, Stephanie Kershaw, Amy Lawton, Brooke Peris, Renee Taylor, Grace Young
Forwards: Grace Stewart, Alice Arnott, Mariah Williams
Reserves: Maddison Brooks, Aleisha Power, Hattie Shand
