Shona McCallin targets Olympic spot

Hockey star Shona McCallin said she now had one eye on the Olympics after being selected in the Great Britain squad for a six-test series against Australia.

The 23-year-old former Newark Hockey Club player returned to the squad after missing the latter part of 2015 through injury.

She also had her appendix out shortly after helping England earn gold at the European Hockey Championships, leaving her with a lot of work to regain her fitness.

McCallin, of Dry Doddington, said she was looking forward to representing Great Britain once again.

Her last appearance with the squad was in July last year.

“I am pretty excited. It is big with the Olympics coming up and I am hoping to make a good impression,” she said.

“It has been a while since I’ve played because of injury. I was out for four months because of it but I’ve worked hard to get myself fit.

“I lost a lot of body weight and strength initially but the work I have been putting in at the gym means I can now cope with the physical demands.”

Despite having her mind focused on the task in hand, McCallin admits it is difficult not to look ahead to Rio

“You definitely think about it. It’s one of the biggest things you can do as a sportsperson,” she said.

“It’s like a catch-22. You try not to big it up too much or else you could end up over hyping it and under-performing.

“However, at this stage, a couple of months before the event, it is important you are being seen and getting exposure.”

Australian test

She heads out this week for the test series against Australia, which will start on February 12 at Bunbury.

They play at the venue again two days later, before taking part in four more matches in Perth.

McCallin said she was relishing the test against one of the world’s best teams and looking forward to the extra exposure it would bring.

“We have played a lot of matches against other European teams, but we don’t often get to showcase ourselves on other continents,” she said.

“It will be good to play six games against them. It will be useful learning how to play different styles of hockey.

“It is going to be good to get the games under our belt and also get a block of training done in what could be hard conditions.”

McCallin currently plays in the Women’s Hockey Premier League for Holcombe and trains with the national team at Bisham.