Q&A: Tim Howard leading new generation of Kookaburras at Tokyo 2020

Since captaining Australia’s men’s hockey5s team to gold at the 2014 Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, Tim Howard has become one of the key players in the country’s senior team, the Kookaburras.

Having been part of victorious Australian teams at the 2018 Champions Trophy and 2019 FIH Pro League, the 25-year-old is now among nine Olympic debutants in the 16-man squad for Tokyo, as the world’s top-ranked side looks to win a first Olympic title since 2004.

Here, Howard reflects on his experiences at the YOG and his journey to Tokyo.

Australia is currently the top-ranked team in the world. Do you feel like the Kookaburras can go into the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 confident of winning a medal?

“I feel like on any day any team can win it. The top four or five teams are all quite close, I would say, so any of those teams can win it. But we'll certainly be confident that the training we’ve put in will pay off and we’ll just follow our process, which is normally to take every game as it comes. Once you get to that quarter-final or semi-final stage, then it's really about getting that outcome that you’ve worked so hard for.”

You got your first taste of the Olympic Games at the YOG Nanjing 2014. How do you look back on your time at that event?

“It was an amazing experience. I was only 17 or 18 at the time, so it was certainly a real eye-opener for me. It was the biggest event I’d played in at the time, so going to China and getting that full Olympic Village experience was really cool. I think there were maybe 3,500 athletes living there and it was awesome. For athletes our age, it was something that we had all trained for and were looking forward to. Once the start of that year came around, you knew that the Games were coming up and I think training got serious for me at that point.”

Are there any particularly special memories for you from Nanjing?

“I loved spending time around the Village, which was pretty cool, soaking up what was there. We also met hockey legend Teun de Nooijer [who was an Athlete Role Model] over there and that was really cool. I think he played over 400 games for the Netherlands and is a two-time Olympic gold-medallist, so that was amazing to meet him.”

Australia had won gold at the previous YOG in Singapore. Did you feel a bit of pressure to follow in that team’s footsteps and win gold as well?

“No, I don't think that was much pressure. I guess we knew what they had done, and once we progressed through the tournament it was one of those things that was in the back of our minds a little bit, but it was nothing that really added any pressure or anything like that. We were certainly keen to do the same thing, though.”

How did it feel to win the gold medal?

“It was really cool. I could remember when the guys came back from the previous YOG with their medals and everyone was quite excited; I guess it was something similar for us. We got to come back home and then I could show the medal to my family and mates and things like that. I thought it was pretty special at the time.”

How did your career develop after the YOG?

“From there, I was still only in the junior team at that time. The Kookaburras [Australia’s senior men’s team] was something that was really hard to crack into; it was a very experienced team that had been together a long time. But at the end of 2014 I did make it into the under-21 team, which travelled to Malaysia and finished third at the Sultan of Johor Cup. I made the squad for that again the following year and then in 2016 there was the Junior World Cup, which was a bit of a benchmark for us young guys. I got to captain that team, which was pretty amazing, and we came fourth. Things followed on from there for me. I debuted for the Kookaburras at the end of 2017, and then in 2018 I got asked to move to Perth to join the national training environment. So, I guess it's been a gradual progression of coming into the team and being a young guy, to then trying to find where I fit in the team, and then trying to cement that place and play as many games as I can.”

Do you think there have been more chances for younger guys to break into the team in this current Olympic cycle, with some of the more experienced players moving on after Rio 2016?

“I feel like the dynamic has changed a little bit. Obviously, a couple of guys retired, we got a new leadership group and new coaching staff, but I think the same principles are always there. It’s certainly been good. There are a couple of really good mates of mine, who I’ve grown up playing with – like Corey Weyer – and now we get to represent Australia together, alongside a lot of guys who we grew up watching. It’s something that – when you sit back and think about it – is pretty amazing.

You mentioned Corey, who was also part of the squad that won gold in Nanjing. Does it make it easier having someone like him alongside you as you progress through the ranks into the senior team?

“It's pretty amazing. There are a lot of guys like that, who I grew up playing with or against in junior teams around Australia, and I really get along with them and value those people in my life. We get to travel and see the world together, so it’s certainly something we’ll all look back on and I’ll remember as a really good time in my life.”

 As well as you and Corey, there are some guys from the Singapore gold medal-winning team who are also in the senior squad with you. Do you feel having success at the YOG has helped create a strong pathway for young players?

“I think it's a good pathway. It's certainly a good stepping-stone for sure. I think for me, during that period, that's when I first thought, ‘I can actually see it’ if that makes sense? Something like the YOG is just the beginning of the pathway, but you can see those stepping-stones in front of you.”

Do you feel like your experiences in Nanjing will help prepare you for what to expect in Tokyo?

“I feel like having had that Village experience already will definitely help. That’s something that a lot of older guys have spoken about from their Olympic experiences – they always explain that at your first Games it can be difficult to find that balance between exploring the Village, enjoying that aspect, but then also being able to switch that off for your games. So, to some extent I can relate to that a little bit, in that I've already got that from my Youth Olympic experience. I guess the Games can still be unpredictable, from what I’ve heard, so it's just important to try to be in a good head space and be prepared for anything.”