Iona College Old Girl Olivia Shannon made her Olympic debut in Japan where she took to the turf with her Black Sticks hockey team, competing at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, held in July 2021.  

Olivia attended Iona from 2013 to 2018. In 2017, along with Iona College 1st X1 hockey teammate Arabella Shield, she was selected to attend a four-day training camp as part of the Junior Black Sticks training squad. A year later, at the end of Year 12, Olivia left Iona when she was named in the New Zealand Black Sticks squad. At just 17, she became the youngest member of the squad. 

Making the squad was an important step toward Olivia’s dream of becoming an Olympian, a dream that began “as early as she can remember”. 

“I've always played sport and it's been a massive part of my family’s life and I’m super competitive in whatever sport I play. I remember watching the Olympic Games and hoped I’d get there, but like any dream you never know if it will come true. With hockey being a team sport, testing and selection are everyday things and you never know what the selectors’ thought processes are, so all you can do is express yourself and your ability and give yourself the best chance. 

“It still hasn’t sunk in that I am Olympian. It is such a massive honour,” she says. 

Olivia’s credits her time at Iona as influential in her sporting successes. 

“Everyone has different steps, milestones and learnings in getting to the Olympics. Mine go right back to when I started hockey to my high school years.  

“One thing that definitely helped was that I was a boarder at Iona and with the huge number of trainings I had outside of school time – often very early mornings and late nights – I learned to be independent and manage my time to balance school work and sport. These skills are important now too as I balance my hockey commitments and my University study.” 

Olivia says the experience of being in Tokyo for the Olympics is one she’ll never forget.  

“Sometimes you forget how much you inspire people and how much of a privileged position you are in when you are representing your country. Going to the Olympics puts that into perspective. Realising how many people believe in you and back you is amazing. Every time I put the black singlet on I feel grateful and I want to make sure I do it proud.” 

The impact of Covid-19 was acutely felt by the athletes in Tokyo and the heat also proved challenging.  

Before the squad left New Zealand, many hours were spent training and developing protocols both for safety and to combat the stifling heat. One strategy involved wearing woollen beanies and thermals and having their torsos wrapped in rubbish bags to trap the heat and raise their body temperatures while they trained.  

“The heat in Tokyo was tough,” says Olivia. “But we had a lot of cooling strategies like taking an ice bath and then jumping into an ice vest as well as drinking ice slushies pre-game. During the games we’d have ice towels and ice buckets.” 

Olivia has some advice for young students who may have their eye on competing at the Olympics one day. 

“Whatever sport you compete in, if you believe in yourself and enjoy yourself every time you play or train, you will go a long way. It’s hard though and you have to prepare for that. You have to believe you are the hardest working person on the field and consistently maintain that attitude.”  

Now the Olympics are over, Olivia plans to take some time out and catch up with friends and family. At University she is studying towards a Bachelor of Business majoring in marketing and will shortly pick up her hockey stick again to compete in the newly launched National Hockey Competition. 

“I’ve experienced so much over my short career - all the highs and the lows and many mixed emotions. But the biggest thing is that if you know yourself and surround yourself with positive and supportive people, you’ll be fine no matter what. I’ve learned a lot from sport and one word that sums this up is ‘heart’. Heart means the attitude to stay positive and never give up on your dreams.” 

Article added: Saturday 08 January 2022