Five Old Reptonians head to Rio

Repton School alumni selected for hockey and reserves teams in this year's Olympics

Posted by Stephanie Broad | July 12, 2016 | Sports & Leisure

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• #alumni
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Five former Repton School pupils will be taking the road to Rio this year, with two selected as members of the women’s Great Britain 2016 Olympic hockey squad, one as a member of the German hockey squad and two as travelling GB reserves. 

Georgie Twigg, in her second Olympics, will be joined in the GB squad by Shona McCallin. Joining them as travelling GB reserves will be Joie Leigh and Ellie Watton. Charlotte Stapenhorst was given the great news that she is a member of the German squad several weeks ago. 

Reacting to the announcement of her selection, Georgie said: “I am thrilled to be selected for my second Olympics. With a training squad of 31, competition for places has been incredibly fierce and it therefore is a real honour to be a part of the team. Having won the bronze in London in 2012 we will be fighting for that gold medal in Rio." 

Shona McCallin said: "Obviously it's a dream come true being selected for the Olympics. It's been an up and down journey to get to this point but I'm so glad I carried on through the tough times.  

“It's extra special to share this experience with team mates I've known for a long time and grown up playing with; Georgie Twigg and Joie Leigh from Repton School." 

Great Britain’s hockey women will play their first Olympic match on 6 August when they will face Australia. This will be followed by matches against India, world number two Argentina, Japan and then USA. 

Twelve teams who qualified through the Hockey World League and Continental Championships will take part in the Olympic hockey tournament at Deodoro Olympic Park in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, culminating in a gold medal final on 19 August.

Confirmation that the girls will be competing in the Games makes it the third successive Olympics to feature Old Reptonians (ORs) in the women’s hockey squad. Georgie Twigg played in London in 2012 and, while still a pupil at Repton, Charlotte Craddock was a member of the GB squad that competed in Beijing in 2008. 

Commenting on the players’ successes, Repton School’s Director of Hockey, Martin Jones, said: “The selection news is wonderful. Each of these young women played roles in helping Repton to achieve success at a national level and to now see them competing on the world’s greatest sporting stage is terrific. We hope they have a successful and enjoyable time.” 

www.repton.org.uk