Maddie Hinch: GB hockey gold medallist on fame, freebies & future dreams

Kate Richardson-Walsh, our captain and most-capped player, has retired., external She has achieved so much in hockey, she is respected by so many and can, without doubt, lead a team at any level. I hope to see her in the GB coaching set-up.

She has been a legend in our sport and it is so sad to think I will never play alongside her in a GB shirt again. We will face off against each other in the Dutch league, which will be fun.

We couldn’t have been prouder when she was asked to be GB flag bearer at the closing ceremony in Rio. Good luck to whoever fills her shoes. It will be tough to do.

We have a team Whatsapp group and everyone has been posting ‘good morning’ messages at 4am because we are all still jet lagged.

Within seconds of the first message, Susannah Townsend was saying she missed everyone. We had only been apart for four minutes. That is classic Susannah. We all tell her she is needy but we wouldn’t change her for the world.

It may be a very exciting time but it is also sad. As a group, we will never be together like that again. As nice as it is to get away from everyone for a little bit, there are some Olympic blues already.

We were warned that this would happen when all the media calms down. I will be back to the real world and I will be thinking, ‘Where are my team-mates?’

I remember our coach telling us that the biggest challenge after winning is winning. We need to not only keep the legacy going, but now, more than ever, we need to keep picking up medals.

We have a home World Cup in 2018. That is a fantastic opportunity to carry on and show what we are about.