Hockeyroos dominate Russia to qualify for Tokyo

The Hockeyroos will appear at an 11th straight Olympic Games after booking their place at Tokyo 2020 with a resounding 5-0 win in the second and final qualifier against Russia on the weekend.

The result gave the Hockeyroos a 9-2 victory on aggregate to ensure they will join the Kookaburras in representing Australia at next year’s Games.

After a 4-2 win in the opening game, the overall result was decided inside the opening half of the second match as all of the goals came in the first 30 minutes. Mariah Williams (NSWIS) scored a brace while Grace Stewart (NSWIS), Sophie Taylor and Emily Chalker (NSWIS) also got on the score sheet.

“I feel really happy for the girls,” said Head Coach Paul Gaudoin after the win.

“They worked really hard and it has been a massive year. We didn’t quite get there (against New Zealand) in Rockhampton but now we can focus our preparations on Tokyo.

“From here we’ve got to make sure we’re as prepared as we can be leading up to the Olympics.

“It was pleasing that we managed to finish off with some quality goals in the first half but our ball handling needs to get better as well as our fitness.”

The clean sheet is a huge positive on a night the Hockeyroos overcame a challenging hurdle which allows them to start looking ahead to Tokyo 2020.

With Olympic qualification achieved, the Hockeyroos players will now return to play with their respective Sultana Bran Hockey One teams for the league’s final round next weekend.