St.George & Sutherland Leader, Tuesday, September 29, 1998

Champ charms crowd

HURSTVILLE was one of the first stops for Hockeyroos captain Rachelle Hawkes after arriving in Sydney from Kuala Lumpur on September 23.

The Commonwealth Games gold medalist entertained a crowd at Westfield Shoppingtown Hurstville only hours after arriving at Sydney airport.

Hawkes said she did a lot of sport promotional work for Westfield and was pleased to speak to Hurstville residents about her team's success in the games. She said while the highlight of the games was winning the gold medal, other attractions were meeting new friends, the opening and closing ceremony and closing parties. The inside-forward said playing conditions were hot in Kuala Lumpar and the team used ice jackets to keep cool. She said they were the first team to win a gold medal in hockey, as it was the first time the sport was included in the commonwealth games.

Hawkes has represented Australia in international hockey competitions for more than 10 years, competing in three Olympic Games, in which her team has twice won gold medals.

The hockeyroos' win at the Atlanta Olympics was the 39th straight victory.

Local hockey ethusiasts ans shoppers included Tamie and Sarah Loxton from Oatley. The girls are keen hockey players and were eager to get the autograph of the Australian captain.

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