The Australian Roller Hockey teams have experienced great success at the recent 2023 Asian Roller Skating Championships held in Beiadaihe, China, with the women’s team achieving gold and the men’s team taking home silver.
The Championship, held from October 18 - 28, saw both Australian Roller Hockey teams compete against India, New Zealand and the People’s Republic of China, with the men’s team also playing against Macau and Taipei.
The Australian Women’s team defeated Japan 4-3 in the gold medal match, while the Australian Men’s team went through the tournament undefeated, tying on points with Taipei who were awarded first place on goal average.
Hannah Lincoln, captain of the Australian Women’s team said participating in the Asian Roller Skating Championships was a special experience for the squad.
“It’s hard to articulate what this win means, it feels magical,” she said.
“It’s not only the team that participated in the Asia Championships, but our entire Australian squad of women that have cultivated a community, a family; a family that is supportive, inclusive and genuine. We are proud of the culture we’ve created.”
Lincoln credited the team’s spirit and strong support from the stands as the winning advantage, helping the team fight back after being down 0-3 in the first half of the match.
“Before the game, we spoke about being the underdogs. We had lost to Japan earlier in the week 2-6 so on paper, we weren’t supposed to win. We spoke about the Aussie spirit playing with heart and grit, never giving up.
“Despite the scoreline, we stuck to that mantra and crawled our way back. The support of our men’s team and the New Zealand teams in the stands helped immensely.”
Jordan Letty, Australian Men's team captain said the achievement was one the team is proud of.
"Bringing a medal home for your country is an amazing achievement that not a lot of people can relate to and I’m extremely proud of what the team has been able to accomplish in China, " he said.
"I think this team is very special and can accomplish a lot more in the next few years.
"It has a great mix of experienced players and younger players, all committed and dedicated to the same common goal to bring the best results for Australia and make our country proud.
"It was the first international experience for a lot of players in our team so we hope this experience will allow us to bring Gold home on the next Asian Championship in a couple of years."
The competition doubled as the Asia-Oceania Championships, with both teams now qualified to attend the World Skate Games in 2024.
Australian Roller Hockey Women’s Team
Alice Fletcher
Anika Jurovic
Cerys Parnell
Charlotte Flenady
Ellen Fletcher
Freya Garrard
Hannah Lincoln
Jaycie Hooper
Katrina Baxter
Maddison Crawford
Paula Sakuma
Scarlet Capewell
Head Coach: James Reid
Team Manager: Louise Baxter
Assistant Coach: James Murray
Australian Roller Hockey Men’s Team
Filippo Bassoli
Jordan Letty
Bevan Hurley
William Hoey
Jorge Miranda Pinto
Oscar Hoey
Curtis Parnell
Lachlan Nichols
Navdeep Aulakh
Rees Leighton
Jamie Crawford
Head Coach: Stephen Hoey
Assistant Coach / Team Manager: Claudio Munoz
Mechanic: Miguel Martinez Carballal
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