Claire Colwill

Hockeyroo Claire Colwill almost dismissed the phone call that set her on the path to the Olympics.

Claire was just 16 and playing hockey in her hometown of Mackay when Brisbane Blaze coach Nikki Taylor rang to ask her to join the squad for the inaugural Hockey One League.

“It was just out of the blue because I missed her first call thinking it was a spam call,” Claire said. “I had to ring her back and was caught off guard when she told me. I didn’t believe it for a good half-hour.”

Claire had begun playing hockey for her school, St Joseph’s Catholic Primary, at the age of six. “My mum and brother played and I wanted to join in on the fun,” she said.

Her elite ability was soon evident and as a 10-year-old she was selected to play in the Queensland School Sport U12 team. She went on to represent her state at U13, U15, U16, U18 and open level.

After some strong performances for the Blaze, Claire was selected in the Australian U21 team, the Jillaroos, in a tri-series against Japan.

In 2022, aged just 18, she made her debut for the Hockeyroos in a Trans-Tasman match against New Zealand.

Later that year, Claire was part of the Hockeyroos team that won bronze at the FIH Women’s World Cup and silver at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

She was among the scorers in an 8-0 demolition of Kenya in the opening game of the tournament in Birmingham. The Hockeyroos were undefeated in the pool games and after beating India in a penalty shootout in the semi-final, they went down to England 2-1 in the gold medal game.

In 2023, the Hockeyroos finished third in the Women’s International Pro League, before clinching a place at the Paris Olympics by winning the Oceania Cup series against New Zealand. Claire was awarded a 2023 Australian Sport Hall of Fame scholarship and was mentored by beach volleyball Olympic gold medallist Nat Cook.

At the Paris 2024 Olympics Claire and the Hockeyroos opened their tournament with three-straight wins against South Africa (2-1), Great Britain (4-0) and the United States (3-0).

A draw with Argentina (3-3) and a win against Spain (3-1) closed the group stage, with the Hockeyroos advancing into a quarter-final against China. Coached by Australian Olympic champion Alyson Annan, China prevailed 3-2 to end the Hockeyroos' campaign.

Away from the hockey field, Claire is studying clinical exercise physiology (honours) at the University of Queensland.

As she prepares to play on hockey’s biggest stage, Claire tries to keep it simple and has some sage advice for any young athlete.

“I would say to my younger self to treasure and capture those Saturday morning junior games with friends,” she said.