Condon believes something is brewing in British hockey

David Condon believes something special is brewing within British hockey’s ‘animals’ and is prepared to keep raising his own standards to stay at the heart of it, writes Sportsbeat's Tom Harle.

The 31-year-old from Leicester has been given a fresh lease of life by the young talent making their way into a Great Britain men’s side who recently climbed into the world’s top three for the first time in two decades.

A shared philosophy has been key to the upturn in fortunes with Condon a passionate exponent of the principles which are so far bearing fruit.

“We want to become animals,” he said.

“We have that desire to not let any team score at all costs, whatever it takes. We want to take teams to the gutter and run them into the ground with our relentless pressure.

“The young guys coming in have provided a massive lift. They want to win stuff and they won a lot in the juniors, so they came in with that mindset of getting on top of teams, killing them off and being that relentless team.

“That pushes me. I’ve been looking around going ‘oh wow, these guys’, I need to take myself to a new level to stay part of the squad.

“It’s a shame I’m not five years younger but I couldn’t be more thrilled to be part of it right now.

“It’s exciting and there is definitely a sense this squad could go on to something really special.”

The feelgood factor on the pitch has translated off it, with the next generation taking note of the exploits of Condon and his in-form teammates.

“When we do the signatures with kids after the game, they want to replicate what they’ve just seen,” he said.

“They are talking about certain skills, like when Lee Morton dribbled past four Indian players and scored from the baseline - kids want to try those things.

“It’s not just about coming to watch Great Britain play hockey; it’s about watching guys like Lee and Zach Wallace do their thing.

“That’s the excitement level building, which is a big difference to what we have had before.”

Condon is one of over 1,000 elite athletes on UK Sport’s National Lottery-funded World Class Programme, allowing him to train full time, have access to the world’s best coaches and benefit from pioneering medical support – this is vital for his pathway to the Paris 2024 Games.

With the Paris 2024 Olympics only one year away, the Games are set to inspire people and communities all across the country. Condon hopes that by sharing his story it will give others motivation to get involved into sport.

The all-action midfielder made his Olympic bow in Rio seven years ago but missing out on Tokyo 2020 fuelled a burning ambition to be part of the squad heading to the French capital.

“When I wasn’t selected for Tokyo, I sat down with my girlfriend and she said, ‘what do you want to do?’,” recalls Condon.

“I said I wanted to give it one last go and making that squad is now my main focus. The day the guys flew to Tokyo, I started training and spent four months sharpening my super strengths.

“The disappointment of not going has put me in the position I’m in now, it gave me the drive to continue doing what I love.

“Sometimes missing out can be the best thing for you, even if you don’t realise it at the time. It was tough but it gave me a chance to reflect on my strengths and make them the best they could be.”

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