Sat against the advertising hoardings in Valencia, Maddie Hinch put a hand over her sweat-induced hair and breathed a sigh of relief and joy in equal measure.
GB women had just qualified, in 2015, for the Rio Olympics before racking up a first ever tournament success by winning all their seven matches. Danny Kerry’s side had danced a merry jig Copacabana style at the Campo de Hockey, led by Kate Richardson-Walsh. “The sheer pressure of Olympic qualification ain’t pretty,” Kerry had admitted afterwards.
Speaking to Hinch to garner her reaction, however, has always stuck out of the many interviews I’ve conducted with this bubbly, brilliant and intelligent athlete over the years.
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