DOWN-HEARTED: Australian players look dejected after the women’s hockey match between Argentina and Australia on Day 10 of the London Olympics. Kate Jenner is facing camera above and to the left of No 21 wearing the green top. Photo: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images
THE 2012 Olympic medal dream has ended for the northern region’s contingent of athletes.
Tamworth Hockeyroo Kate Jenner was the final athlete to bow out of the medals race after a 0 - 0 draw against Argentina.
Hockeyroos coach Adam Commens blamed “unacceptable” errors in the video referral system for leaving his Hockeyroos shattered and out of the Olympic Games medals hunt following their nil all draw with Argentina.
The Hockeyroos needed the win to progress.
Commens said the Hockeyroos’ demise could be sheeted home to their 1-0 loss in the first game against New Zealand – a match in which he said a wrong video referral decision “cost (us) hugely”.
With only one video referral per half, the decision meant the Hockeyroos were unable to use the technology for a clear penalty stroke when Emily Smith was fouled late (full story page 13).
The Hockeyroos have finished fifth in the past two Olympics.
last medal-hope match.
Mr McKenzie – who coached Kate when she played for both Oxley and Services teams – told The Leader she was on the field for a fair portion of the game and played well defensively.
“I thought she was fantastic; she had a very strong game,” Mr McKenzie said.
He said while the team was obviously disappointed with the result, on reflection he believed they would realise they had done a “great job” while in London – something that was already evident to him.
“It would have been lovely to see them edge out Argentina, but I think they did very well,” he said.
The competition among their pool was a tight one, Mr McKenzie said, and the fact they went into the Games ranked seventh and would come out at worst sixth also spoke of their good work on the field.
He was obviously proud of his former player and said she could look forward to a long international career, having made it this far.
“She’s just taken every opportunity that’s come her way,” he said.
Mr McKenzie, who is in London with wife Miriam and friends, had tickets to the semi-finals in anticipation the girls would make it, but he is now looking to get his hands on tickets to Kate’s last Olympic match – also believed to be her 49th game for Australia.
Tamworth-based farmer Clive Barton finished 33rd in a field of 36 skeet shooters last Wednesday.
Team-mate Keith Ferguson, who finished 20th in his Olympic debut, said Barton had been plagued by illness in the final two days of the competition, even spending until one o’clock in the morning of the qualifying round at a nearby hospital.
It is understood Clive and his family are still in London.