There is a gladiatorial quality about Kate Richardson-Walsh, the Great Britain women’s hockey captain, that seems to become more salient the older she becomes. She is 35 now, and close to the end of her outstanding career, but there is no sign of her mellowing.
She has already retired once, in the aftermath of England’s disappointing performance in hockey’s 2014 World Cup in The Hague, when the team that had won Olympic bronze two years before could finish only 11th. But now Richardson-Walsh, the GB captain since 2003, is planning a grander valediction, at next year’s Rio Olympics, and it would be a wise move not to bet against her.
Anyone who saw her play on after having her jaw broken in the 2012 London Games would testify to her resolution. Now she plans to lead her team in the Olympic qualifiers, which get under way in Valencia on 10 June and she has a ferocity of will which even the world’s leading teams – the Netherlands, Australia and Argentina – have come to respect.
She even relishes the prospect of a qualifying opener against Spain, in front of a packed and partisan crowd. “I can’t wait for it,” she says. “You always want to play the home nation in any sport. You know you will be playing in front of a massive crowd, all supporting the home team, but it will still be a great feeling.
“The London Olympics was the best crowd, because it was all for us and it was amazing. But after that I would say playing in Argentina was the best experience I’ve ever had, with 16,000 Argentinians packed in and all wanting them to score. And when we scored the silence of the crowd was incredible. To have that control over so many people was a great feeling. I love the crowds, even when they’re against us.”
Richardson-Walsh, who won her first England cap in July, 1999, wants the chance to bow out by matching or even improving on that bronze won in London, the team’s first Olympic medal since 1992 and only the second in their history.
But even getting to Rio looks a daunting challenge. “After Spain we’ve got to face China, Argentina and Canada. So it will be tough. The encouraging thing is that we’ve had a really good build-up. Things have been going really well.
“We’ve been to Valencia a couple of times, we’ve trained on the pitch, we’ve played there, we’ve stayed at the hotel, we even know what the food’s like. So we feel we’ve prepared really well.”
There is a case to be made that women’s sport has moved forward since the London Olympics and the hockey team, which is now backed by Investec, has higher levels of investment and preparation. The medal, too, brought extra funding for the men’s and women’s teams. There are more get-togethers at Bisham Abbey and more time spent on the back-up squad.
“The rules have changed massively in my time, because now we have video referrals and the game has gone to quarters of 15 minutes.
“But, beyond that, physical and psychological aspects have come into it more. The game is much quicker too. I’m still one of the quickest in the team but I’m not as quick as I used to be in my 20s, though I feel I can read the game better than I once did.
“Touch wood we qualify for Rio. That would be the swan song for me. There are lots of things I want to achieve outside of playing hockey. It would be time then to hang up my sticks. There would be lots of youngsters at my ankles, wanting to take my spot, which is very good for the longevity of the game, so that would definitely be my last thing.”
Those who witnessed her determination to play on after having her jaw broken by a stick during the 4-0 win over Japan in 2012 will not forget it. “The funny thing is that I can’t really remember the pain,” she says.
“I felt uncomfortable. Time slowed down and it felt very quiet. I remember the noise in the crowd when I got hit, and the commotion in the medical room. But I don’t really remember the pain so much.”
After the success of the Olympics came a European silver the following year, and a wedding to her team-mate, Helen Richardson, in September 2013, with the pair joining their surnames. “We’ve known each other since we were 15 or 16 so we’ve grown up together. It feels a great support to have her there, with me, all the time. We know each other so well and we’re very honest with each other, so it’s great to have the feedback on board if I ever wonder if I’m doing the right thing as captain.
“We’re very professional. We make sure we draw a line and when we’re at hockey we are Kate and Helen, hockey players and team-mates. Away from the game we are a couple, but we still talk about the game at home because we are so passionate about the game.”
So why did such a committed player consider retirement in the first place? “Last year was a really tough year,” she explains. “We’d had a really poor result at the World Cup. But the Commonwealth Games [when England were seconds away from beating Australia in the final] came round quickly and made me feel that it wasn’t the end. I thought it would be a waste if I finished.
“I just needed a break. It was mental more than anything else. I was finding it very difficult. So I decided I needed some time away to think about it properly. And that time and space gave me the realisation that I wasn’t done with it, that I was motivated. I realised that there was still a lot I wanted to do and achieve and I wanted to fight for my place again.
“I’ve been doing this for 17 years now, in the senior squad. Mentally, it can be a drain. But the Commonwealth Games helped to bring my passion back and I’m really up for Valencia.”
