Adam Dixon "buzzing" over Olympic selection

Hockey star Adam Dixon said he was stronger mentally after being selected to compete in his first Olympic games.

The former Newark Hockey Club player is in the 16-man squad that will feature on the world’s biggest stage in Rio in August.

He joins another former Newark player, Shona McCallin, who was selected for the GB women’s team.

Four years ago Dixon was left heartbroken after narrowly missing out on an Olympic spot for London 2012 and said he had learned a lot since that time.

“It was a huge relief to know that four years that have gone was not wasted, and I have been buzzing ever since,” he said.

“I probably appreciate this chance a lot more considering what happened last time.

“There wasn’t a day that went by in the past few years that the disappointment of 2012 wasn’t in my mind.

“Every time I stepped into the gym, in my head I knew it was up to me to prove I was good enough to earn a spot.

“That was a selfish motivation and I need to remember that there’s 16 of us and I’m going to have to sacrifice a lot for the team.”

Dixon said the main difference now compared with his younger self was his improved reliability on the pitch.

“I’m a lot more consistent in my approach, but that’s not to say I turn up to a game and have a style of play I fall back on day in day out,” he said.

“In training you can’t have a couple of good days followed by a couple of bad days, which may have been the case four years ago.

“You can’t presume you will be at your absolute best every day of the week, but you go in with the attitude that you will give it your best.

“I’m a different person mentally in that respect and I’m pleased to have got myself into a position where I could be selected.”

'We have set our target to win the gold medal'

The news was broken to the players in a group email sent to the whole squad, with Dixon barely able to check his inbox.

“I probably would have preferred to have had a face-to-face meeting but the 9am email was the consensus of the team,” he said.

“It was a pretty sleepless night and I thought I would definitely be up beforehand but I actually overslept until 9.15am.”

“Pressing the button to see if I had made it was such an ordeal and I was wondering whether I wanted to do it, but thankfully it was good news.

“The week before it was officially announced it was so difficult not to spill the secret.”

Great Britain have been drawn alongside Australia, Belgium, New Zealand, Spain and hosts Brazil in the group stage.

Dixon is in confident mood ahead of the tournament, and believes the squad is capable of bringing home a gold medal.

“We have been quietly bubbling away and, although we would have liked to have won more medals in the four years leading up to Rio, it makes us more hungry for success,” he said.

“We have set our target to win the gold medal. It would be a discredit to other players on our team if it wasn’t.

“In the past we’ve shown we can beat the world’s best and we can put in a good performance when it really matters.

“It’s a long tournament and we know we don’t have to play our best all the time, but making sure we’re all playing effectively as a team.”

A first Olympic appearance also awaits Shona McCallin, of Dry Doddington after she was named in the women’s squad.

The 24-year-old former Newark player is one of eight in the squad making their Games debut.