Team GB men’s hockey thrash Spain 4-0 as Nick Park scores wonder goal in bid for gold at the same venue as Eric Liddell’s and Harold Abrahams’ Chariot of Fire heroics a century ago

It was a bit of magic from a 25-year-old called Nick Park. A defender on the British hockey team, he won the ball, waltzed it 30 yards as if the thing were glued to his stick, and then deftly lifted his first Olympic goal inches under the bar.

Poor Luis Calzado couldn’t stop the rocket, the keeper was sent to the ground, a fluttering bystander. And on his Olympic debut, Park had set the tone for what would prove to be a convincing 4-0 win over Spain in Pool A.

No one in the team could believe it. He is not known for his Superman-like performances in such advanced areas. He admitted that he had never performed this kind of feat in training, and it was not his usual fare at Surbiton Hockey Club.

But perhaps a theatrical contribution was always to be expected at this of all stadiums: Colombes, northwest of Paris. And Park was aware of the ghosts of the past here, even if his grasp of the details was a little sketchier than if you asked him about London 2012, when he watched the whole show with his sister.

But he knew vaguely that the last time the Olympics were held at this venue, 100 years ago, Harold Abrahams and Eric Liddell were gold stars in the 100 meters and 400 meters respectively. Their story was brought to the big screen in 1981 as Chariots of Fire.

The rivalry between Eric Liddell and Harold Abrahams, who both won a gold medal at the 1924 Paris Olympics at Yves-du-Manoir, was immortalized in the 1981 film Chariots of Fire

Stade Yves-du-Manoir, now adorned with the 2024 Olympic branding for the hockey events, served as the main venue for the 1924 Paris Olympic Games a century ago

There isn’t much left of the beautiful old venue, but the place – full of memories of Liddell – still exudes a lustre that can’t be dented by an immaculate artificial turf pitch on the old cinder track.

Yves-du-Manoir, as it is officially known, hosted 250 international sporting events. It is no longer so grand and did not look its best under the tear-filled grey skies. The floodlights illuminated the darkness for a 10am start.

Outside, the police and military were heavily armed, more so than I can remember from the previous four Olympics I attended.

Regardless, Park’s superb first-quarter goal calmed the spirits of the British team, who had already withstood two penalty corners.

He and his mates breathed a wave of optimism into our men’s team that had been missing since the golden days of 1988 and Barry Davies’ cry: ‘Where were the Germans? And honestly, who cares?’

Now, after years without a podium, the brakes have been lifted under head coach of two years, Paul Revington. “He’s like Guardiola,” said one observer. Generous, yes, but not a comparison the 50-year-old South African would accept with unqualified pleasure. He’s a Manchester United fan.

His first task here is to guide his pupils through the group stage.

There are two groups. Six in each group. Four advance. South Africa (13th) are coming today. In addition to Spain (eighth), the British have to compete against France (ninth), the Netherlands (first) and Germany (fifth). Our boys are rated as the second best in the world.

British men’s hockey coach Paul Revington has been compared to Spain’s Pep Guardiola

Team GB defeated their Spanish opponents 4-0 in their opening match of the Paris Olympics

Team GB are ranked second in the world and will play against the world number 1, the Dutch, on Tuesday 30 July.

They delivered, although Spain were a bit sloppy and goalkeeper Ollie Payne had to impress.

After Park’s strike, Gareth Furlong scored twice more on his Olympic debut before Rupert Shipperley, a 31-year-old Tokyo veteran and former geography teacher at KCS Wimbledon, added a fourth.

The team was exempted from the opening ceremony to prepare for this. Early bird Park, the tournament’s first scorer, said: ‘I didn’t expect to score that, but it meant a lot to have family in the audience watching me. We’re aiming for gold. Why not?’

It’s still early, but there is a lot of hope.