By Joe Harvey

Edinburgh’s Amy Costello is enjoying a re-discovered love for hockey ahead of her Olympic debut at Paris 2024.

Three years ago, Costello was named as a reserve for Tokyo 2020 and watched as her teammates went on to win bronze in the Land of the Rising Sun.

A vastly experienced player with over 100 combined appearances for Great Britain and Scotland, being dropped for Japan came as an immense disappointment for Costello.

Taking time to re-discover her confidence on the field, the Scot says that the sorrow of non-selection in 2021 rounded her as a person ahead of her debut at Paris 2024.

Costello said: “I wasn’t in the best headspace as a person or as a player. I found that really challenging.

“It probably took me a year and a half to get back to feeling confident in my own ability and me as a hockey player; actually thinking I wanted to go for this again.

“It was about stripping back all of it back and realising why I actually started playing in the first place.

“As much as you can get absorbed in being an elite athlete, hockey is something I really enjoy doing.

“That’s why I do it, not because my identity is solely as a hockey player.

“I’ve got other things in life to enjoy. There’s more in life, but that makes you fear it less.”

This summer at the Stade Yves-du-Manoir , Team GB’s women’s side are hoping to medal at a fourth successive Games.

Head coach David Ralph has been able to call upon the worldly experience of Laura Roper in this latest tilt for the podium, bringing with her knowledge of medalling at London 2012, Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, with Costello just one of six Olympic debutants set for the stage.

Coming up against Australia, Argentina, Spain, the USA and South Africa in the pool stages before progressing to the knockout stage, the challenge of continuing their legacy is not lost on Costello, who believes this current class of GB hockey stars are ready prove themselves.

She said: “There are 10 medalists and six debutants, so we are looking to take all their knowledge they have got from their past experiences. Especially Laura Roper with her there medals.

“Equally, we’re enjoying the journey and the experience as a group of 19 who are out here.

“We’ve not medalled, so people say there’s a lot of pressure on GB Hockey to medal given the history - but we’ve not medalled as a group and this squad are creating our own journey and our own legacy.”

Great Britain invites you to Summer of Hockey - an experience like no other. Get involved now https://www.greatbritainhockey.co.uk/olympics/paris-2024/paris-2024-fixtures