Local hockey player selected to play in Olympics
She started playing hockey when she was eight years old and excelled in other sporting codes but it was hockey that genuinely got her adrenaline pumping.
Tuks hockey player Edith Molikoe has been selected to represent the SA hockey team at this year’s Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.
The 20-year-old said she loves nothing more than to have a stick in hand dribbling a hockey ball past opponents.
Not only did she make the Olympics team, Molikoe is also selected to represent South Africa at the upcoming African Junior Cup tournament that serves as a qualifying tournament for the 2021 Junior Women’s Hockey World Cup.
Still, it does not end there. So far, at the age of 20, Molikoe holds 30 indoor hockey international caps under her name.
She started playing hockey when she was eight years old and excelled in other sporting codes but it was hockey that genuinely got her adrenaline pumping.
“As a midfielder, you need to be assertive because you are doing two jobs. On the attack, you got to try and set up scoring opportunities, and you must be able to defend.
“I guess my best quality as a striker is that I am ‘strong on the ball’. I seldom lose possession. For me, playing striker is never about personal glory. It is about what is best for the team. I am happy to set up scoring opportunities for my teammates,” she said.
Molikoe considers the 2018 series against Australia’s u.18 team as a highlight.
“We have never managed to beat Australia. Needless to say, we were quite nervous before our first encounter. Perhaps it was a good thing because we brought our best game to the table. One of the outstanding moments for me was when I scored a goal in the second game that sealed the deal for us.”
In 2018, she was also selected for the SA indoor national team. Highlights were beating Poland and getting the better of the Czech Republic.
The Tuks player is hesitant to single out role models.
“Everyone I came in contact with throughout my sports career had a big impact on me and the way I think about things. I possibly got my love for all sports from my dad,” explained the first year BEd-student.
When she is not playing hockey or studying, Molikoe loves to read.
She is currently reading Nelson Mandela’s Long Walk to Freedom.
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