KATE-RICHARDSON-WALSH captained Great Britain to a first ever women’s hockey gold medal at the Rio Olympics this summer.
In an epic final which finished all-square at 3-3, Team GB won 2-0 on penalties to claim the gold.
The Olympic triumph was the culmination of over 17 years hard work for Kate, who made her international debut in 1999.
Who is Kate Richardson-Walsh?
Possibly Britain’s greatest ever female hockey player, Kate captained Great Britain to the Olympic hockey gold at the age of 36.
Born Kate Walsh in Withington, Manchester, she won the bronze medal on home soil at London 2012 and followed that up in 2015 with gold at the 2015 EuroHockey Nations Championship.
In 2013, she married teammate Helen Richardson and they both took each other’s names, later becoming the first same-sex couple to win Olympic gold, with their win over the Netherlands.
Any other career highlights?
In addition to her gold medals, Kate has two silver medals and two bronze medals from the Commonwealth Games.
She has played at every international hockey tournament, starting with the 2002 Commonwealth games in Manchester, and earned an MBE in the 2015 New Year’s honours.
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In February this year she became the country’s record appearance maker, overtaking the 355 caps set by Karen Brown.
What are the odds on her winning Sports Personality Of The Year?
Kate Richardson-Walsh is an outsider at 200/1, but she was surprised to get nominated at all.
She said: “I find it a bit strange because I come from a team sport. In our team it was all about everyone doing their job, so if one person gets pushed out I find that a bit strange.
“To be honest, I’m just going to be really happy to be there. I just love Sports Personality. I watched it as a little girl and every year growing up. To be in the audience is a thrill but to be nominated is amazing.”
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