Kavanagh Selected for Olympic Duty

Western Australian Institute of Sport athlete Fergus Kavanagh has been included in the Kookaburras men’s hockey team announced today by the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) in Perth.

Kavanagh – a dual Olympian – was named in the 16-member Kookaburras squad that is widely considered gold medal favourite when play gets under way at London’s Riverbank Arena on July 30.

Born in Dublin, Kavanagh was an integral part of the Kookaburras squad that claimed bronze at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, and the defender will again be an important part of coach Ric Charlesworth’s plans as Australia looks to cement its billing as the best team in the world.

With a big squad deep with talent, Charlesworth had a huge task of naming just 16 players to represent Australia in London.

“The team we’ve picked is the best guess we could make at the moment,” Charlesworth said. “We’ve got four or more athletes under injury clouds but I’m confident in the team we’ve picked and we’ve got a few weeks to prepare.”

Kavanagh’s selection has taken WA’s numbers for London up to 19.

A full biography on Fergus Kavanagh can be found on the AOC’s official website – http://london2012.olympics.com.au/athlete/fergus-kavanagh