GB hockey captain Hollie Pearne-Webb: 'These things gel you, going through tougher times'

Great Britain’s hockey captain, who played a key part in the Rio gold, believes the postponement of the Olympics will give extra time to develop her young squad

Emma John


Hollie Pearne-Webb has plenty on her mind as she prepares for next year’s Olympics. Photograph: Naomi Baker/Getty Images

When Hollie Pearne-Webb was growing up, she had an indoor pastime that drove her mum potty. She had fallen hard for hockey from her very first session, as an eight-year-old, at the club near her Derbyshire home. Now she hated to be without a stick in her hand. “I was always knocking around a ball inside the house, hitting things,” says Pearne-Webb with a laugh.