Hockey: Georgie Twigg Q&A - 'I don't think winning gold has sunk in properly yet'

We spoke to Georgie Twigg on Surbiton Hockey Club's Super Saturday, on which the women's premier team played their first home match of the 2016/17 season in the Investec Women's Hockey League. They defeated University of Birmingham 3-2. There was also a coaching session for juniors and a Q&A with Hollie Webb.

How did you find it today, your first match back for Surbiton?

It was really nice to be back with the girls. I was unsure as to how long I would have off but to be honest I missed it! I came back to training this week which I really enjoyed. The pressure’s off and I’ve just been enjoying it. It was fantastic to see so many people here, a really good turnout.

We’re not really used to loads of people coming down. And especially seeing the number of kids here, that’s what’s really, really nice and I think that’s kind of what our success has done – clubs are being inundated with requests and people turning up, and that’s just brilliant for our sport.

[Want more people to play your sport? Winning Olympic gold is a good way to go]

It’s been a bit of a whirlwind for all the GB team, travelling up and down the country, going to schools and clubs. Does it feel like you’re back to normality now?

To be honest, it’s quite surreal still. I don’t think it’s properly sunk in. I’ve actually started my Law training contract as well so I’m manic at the moment! But you know, it’s good, I’m enjoying it. I’ve been back home, been back to my old club, it’s nice to be back here, and it’s good to be busy.

[In pictures: How Team GB won Olympic gold]
[Also read: Dutch superstar Ellen Hoog retires from international hockey]

What’s an average week like for you now then?

Well, it’s a normal job and then I’m trying to get to Surbiton training on a Tuesday and Thursday. I try to see my friends at some point, my boyfriend at some point! But my life is always busy, so...

What are your hopes for this season? It’s hard to top what you did last season, going undefeated to win the title.

Last season we were actually a bit disappointed at the end, we kind of made things difficult for ourselves. I know we won the League, but it went to penalties, it was quite a tough game, and we didn’t do well in the Euros, so I think for us it’s really getting a consistent performance and almost building up until the end of the season when it’s the crunch time. We’ve had quite a big turnover of players so at the moment it’s just getting everyone playing well together and getting into the flow of it.

And you still have the Olympic parades to come in October. Were you part of the last one?

Yes, with the last one I remember not really knowing what to expect, and not thinking it was going to be a big deal, but then being wowed by the amount of people that came out, so I’m really looking forward to it. Especially going up to Manchester on the Monday, then back to London, and finishing at Buckingham Palace will be very special.

And you’ll be together with the Paralympics team, who had a fantastic Games too.

Yes, it’s just great to see our country, which isn’t the biggest, doing so well at sport and finishing second in the medal table. It’s incredible.

Other Team GB athletes had it pretty good in Rio – they finished their events after the first week and could then enjoy themselves, but you had to stay focused as your final was on the second Friday. How did you manage to block all of that out?

We’d worked hard on keeping it really tight in the group, we had our daily routines we made sure we stuck to, whether it was a win or a loss - although obviously thankfully we didn’t lose, but we were prepared for all different scenarios. On rest days we always ended up at the British School, did our recovery there and made sure our nutrition was really good. So you kind of get into a routine with it. It’s funny because people who probably don’t understand hockey were like, ‘God, are you still playing?’ And we were, ‘ Yep, now it’s quarter-final time’, and so on. And you have to do that because the most important games are obviously at the end. All those group games could have meant nothing if you lose the last one. So it was really important for us to stay tight, stay focused and perform at the end.

Didn’t you ever wish you could have a few hours off to watch the diving or athletics or something?

To be honest, no we didn’t feel like that at any point. On one rest day, I felt really tired, I felt drained. We were out in Rio for nearly a month, which is a long time to be away, so by the end of it I was ready to come home. So it was a combination of feeling exhaustion and having to make sure you were ready and focused for the next game. And it was OK to be tired on the rest days, as long as you were good to go the next day.

A lot of people I’ve spoken to about the final were awed by how composed you all managed to remain in the face of such intense pressure, which must come from the team spirit you’ve mentioned.

Yes, we prepared so well. We always knew it was going to be tough. The Dutch aren’t no.1 in the world for no reason. We knew it was going to be tight, that we’d have to be defensively solid. And I think the thing about our team is that we’ve got exciting forwards. When we got up there, we scored! And we learned from the Euros the year before that if you go down a couple of goals, you can still get back, and it’s always going to be a tight game. So I think the belief we had in the team, you couldn’t shake that, and that’s what really helped us. And as we went to penalties, I think everyone was feeling confident.

So what are your next ambitions internationally? There’s the Euros next year in Amsterdam and London hosts the World Cup in 2018.

I’m not sure exactly what I’m doing yet... But to host the World Cup in your home country is incredible and especially off the back of this [the gold], it’s going to be a really amazing event. So even if I’m not playing, I’ll certainly go and watch. We saw how successful hosting the Europeans last year was, so the World Cup is going to be really good.

It’s such a great venue at Lee Valley.

Yes, we feel really lucky to be able to host events like that now. We’ve now got the capability and capacity to host it and that’s a real legacy from London 2012.

But after the gold in Rio, do you think there will be even more of a legacy for hockey itself? When you see the turnout today, it’s pretty special.

I think so, when you see all the kids wanting to try it. And even my mum went back to hockey this week and she hasn’t played since she was 17! So that’s the most important thing, we make sure we capitalise on this, so that people want to go out there and play. It’s brilliant to see so many kids here today.

With thanks to Georgie Twigg and Surbiton Hockey Club

If Team GB inspired you to play hockey again, look for your local club here:

England  /  Ireland  /  Scotland  /  Wales

Watch: