By Lachlan Mitchell
Amy Lawton is once again preparing to represent Australia on the big stage as she sets her sights on the Commonwealth Games and the Hockey World Cup.
The 20-year old girl from Emerald represented the green-and-gold in the postponed Tokyo Olympics at just 19, and has gone from strength-to-strength since finding the sport at a young age.
“I started playing when I was eight and it was in my school newsletter and my parents thought that my sister and I would enjoy the game,” Lawton said.
Lawton was the fourth-youngest Hockeyroo to represent Australia at an Olympics.
“Eight year-old Amy didn’t think she would be running around for Australia, but as I got older and made a lot of junior-state-sides I thought I’m actually not-bad at this and maybe I could make it one-day,” she said.
Covid has made preparation and the opportunity to train and play with her team mates difficult with the Hockey High Performance unit based in Western Australia.
“Perth’s lockdown closure over the last two weeks has been tricky for us as we can’t all train together which has been the hardest part of the lockdown.” she said.
The Hockeyroos haven’t been immune to the constant border closures with an interrupted lead up to the Olympics.
“No international games against other countries have made it tricky, pre-Olympics we only played against New Zealand five times,” Lawton said.
“In Australia we don’t have as many countries around us like people in Europe…we can’t just drive to another country.”
Amy made her international debut in 2019 against New Zealand where she helped her side to a 5-1 victory.
Lawton scored her first goal in an Olympic test event in Tokyo contributing to her sides win over the home side 2-1.
“It was pretty amazing for the Tokyo Olympics to go ahead, I was pretty thankful for the opportunity to be part of the team,” she said.
“For me being my first Olympics, it was good to see the additional pressure that an Olympics can bring.”
The Hockeyroos Olympic campaign came to an abrupt halt after a 1-0 loss to India in the quarter final.
“It obviously wasn’t the result the Hockeyroos were looking for not getting a medal, but it does light a fire in your belly for the next big occasion with the Commonwealth Games and the Hockey World Cup around the same time,” she said.
Lawton’s star has continued to rise after she was awarded the Emerging Athlete of the Year after her 2019 debut for the national side.
“Having more experienced athlete’s around me since I joined the program, was so helpful for me,” said the Australian star.
“I moved over to Perth as a fresh 18-year-old who had never lived out of home, having your friends – not only your team-mates – around you who are so supportive is amazing.”
