The captain of the NWU women’s hockey team, Charné Maddocks, recently had the tremendous opportunity of playing at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics hockey tournament.
Although South Africa could not get past the group stage, she still learned immensely from the experience in Japan.
Maddocks made her national debut against Ireland at the Olympics in a losing effort.
A memory that stood out for Charné was the first time she walked into the dining hall and also just admiring the view of Tokyo from the village. Potchefstroom Herald chatted to Maddocks in the aftermath of the Olympics to hear how she experienced such a huge global event.
How was your debut match? “It wasn’t the ideal result losing 2-0 but it was an honour and privilege for me to represent my country at the world’s biggest sporting event.”
There was a lot of talk about the conditions and type of living in the sport village where all the competing athletes stayed. How did you find that experience and how did you keep yourself busy when not on the turf? “It was really amazing, as we got to see some famous sport stars who we always see on TV. In the village we got the opportunity to interact with these people and learn from what they had to say. Myself and Wayde van Niekerk had some good chats. In the apartment I stayed in, there were four rooms I. shared my room with one of my teammates. The Japanese are very big on recycling thus our beds were made from cardboard and our mattresses from bubble wrap.
“In my off time I mostly read a book called Legacy, as well as exploring the sport village with some teammates that really became good friends of mine.”
Due to Covid no spectators were allowed at the stadiums. How different was the atmosphere and would you say it affected the team?
“I doubt it had a big effect on the team, as most hockey events doesn’t really have a major crowd.”
What are your goals going forward?
“The team’s goal is to win at AFCON and qualify for the Hockey World Cup that takes place next year.”
What is the biggest lesson you learned from the Olympics?
“Always be true to yourself, no matter how big the event or great the opponent is.”
