MIRIAM Pritchard is getting set for her first Olympics with the Team GB hockey side.
The 25-year-old goalkeeper from Oxford made her England debut in 2017, and was first added to the senior Great Britain training squad in February 2022.
Field hockey first appeared on the Olympic programme in 1908, but it wasn’t until 1980 that the first women’s competition took place.
Pritchard revealed that a shirt presentation for her first Olympics inspired her regarding the 44 years of history for women on the hockey pitch at the Games.
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The Paris Olympics gets underway on Friday, running through until August 11.
Pritchard said: “It’s been brilliant so far, getting some time before the Games to start to explore and see the Olympic rings.
“It was pretty special stepping onto the pitch for the first time as it’s the only building being used that was also used for the 1924 Olympics.
“When we had our shirt presentation the other week, they put up a photo of the first women that competed for Team GB in hockey at the Olympic Games, and it was fantastic to see that history of the women who have come before us and play on a pitch that has so much history.
“Part of our values and story of a team is around recognising the amazing women who have come before us.”
Team GB women play their first Pool A game against Spain on Sunday, before tackling Australia (July 29), South Africa (July 31), USA (August 1) and Argentina (August 3).
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