Gabrielle's Story
Gabrielle Nance made her Olympic debut at the Rio Games, after solid performances in 2016 international tournaments made Nance an ever-presence force on the pitch.
The Aussies had a tough start to their 2016 Olympic campaign, going down 2-1 against both Great Britain and the USA in their opening two pool matches. Despite this disappointment, the side went on to secure three consecutive wins against India, Argentina and Japan, leaving them to face trans-tasman rivals New Zealand in the quarter final. Hopes of a medal finish were dashed as the Aussies went down 4-2 to the Kiwis, leaving the ladies to finish in 6th place.
The 21-year-old grew up in Kingscliff, NSW, before moving to South Australia to pursue her hockey dreams with the South Australian Sports Institute. She represented NSW as a junior before getting her chance in the Australian Hockey League with the SA Southern Suns as a domestic import player.
Nance made her Australian senior international debut against New Zealand in late 2014, going on to play at the Champions Trophy and 2015 World League Finals in Rosario
She took up hockey at the age of eight after moving to Kingscliff where her sister began playing after seeing a sign on the way into the town advertising the local hockey club. Not wanting her sister to be better than her, young Gabi also signed up.
Nance counts former Olympians Kim Small and Sharon Buchanan amongst her hockey idols. Off the pitch, Nance is a keen surfer as well as an accounting student who says she hopes to change the perception of accounting as ‘boring’.
