Legendary Aussie Olympian Eddie Ockenden announces his retirement from international hockey

Kookaburras legend Eddie Ockenden has ended his international hockey career, retiring as a five-time Olympian with a record 451 international appearances for Australia.

Ockenden, 37, made the decision as he prepared to move back to Tasmania with his partner Lou and their three boys.

The midfielder or forward was a three-time Olympic medalist, collecting bronze in 2008 (Beijing) and as captain in 2012 (London), before helping to lead the side to a silver medal at the 2021 Tokyo Games.

His sporting CV is impressive: Ockenden was also a two-time World Cup winner, a seven-time Champions Trophy winner, a four-time Commonwealth Games gold medalist and flag bearer of the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games.

And earlier this year at the Paris Games, Ockenden was Tasmania’s first-ever flag bearer for the Olympic opening ceremony.

“I’ve always wanted to move back home and the kids are at a good age to move now, they’re not too old and we just knew it was time,” he said.

Ockenden’s career path began 24 years ago, in 2000, when he was awarded a scholarship from the Tasmania Institute for Sport (TIS) at the age of 13.

Six years later he made his debut for the Kookaburras.

One of Ockenden’s many highlights was being flag bearer for Australia with canoeist Jess Fox at this year’s Paris Olympics

“It feels like my whole career has gone by in a flash,” he said.

‘There are so many wonderful memories, with good friends and I feel like I’ve been really lucky to have been able to do what I love for so long.

“There are always a lot of ups and downs in professional sports and when I look back on my career I realize that it is the overarching love for the sport that has kept me going.”

His retirement comes as the Kookaburras enter a new era under new coach Mark Hager following Colin Batch’s eight-year reign, and with Aran Zalewski and long-time goalkeeper Andrew Charter also retiring.

Remarkably, Ockenden was able to remain injury-free amid the fierce intensity of international hockey.

‘I ruptured my kidney when I was about 15 and that was quite traumatic and I think at the time I thought, well, that’ll be me then, I don’t really need to have any more injuries, and luckily that wasn’t the case . he said.

Although Ockenden didn’t get a fairytale finish as the Kookaburras missed out on medals in Paris, he has no regrets.

“There was a lot to like about 2024. I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that I’m carrying the flag of Australia in Paris and at my fifth Olympic Games,” he said.

“It was a proud moment to be able to represent the community and the sport I love so much, even though unfortunately things didn’t go well for us at the end of the Games.”