Tom Craig (field hockey)

Last updated

Tom Craig
Personal information
Full name Thomas William Craig
Born (1995-09-03) 3 September 1995 (age 29)
Lane Cove, New South Wales, Australia
Height 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Weight 85 kg (187 lb)
Playing position Midfielder
Club information
Current club Klein Zwitserland
Tamil Nadu Dragons
Senior career
YearsTeam
NSW Pride
2021–present Klein Zwitserland
2024–present Tamil Nadu Dragons
National team
YearsTeamCapsGoals
2013–2016 Australia U21 19 (9)
2014– Australia 101 (29)
Medal record
Men's field hockey
Representing Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia
Olympic Games
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2020 Tokyo Team
World Cup
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2018 Bhubaneswar
Oceania Cup
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2015 Stratford
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2017 Sydney
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2019 Rockhampton
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2023 Whangārei
FIH Pro League
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2019 Amstelveen
Commonwealth Games
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2018 Gold Coast Team
Champions Trophy
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2018 Breda
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2014 Bhubaneswar

Thomas William Craig (born 3 September 1995) is an Australian field hockey player who plays as a midfielder for the Australian national team. [1]

Contents

Career

Junior national team

In 2016, Craig was a member of the Australian Under 21 team, 'The Burras', who were victorious at the Junior Oceania Cup, which served as a qualifier for the Junior World Cup. [2] Craig was also a member of the team at the Junior World Cup in Lucknow, India, where the team finished fourth. [3] [4]

Senior national team

Craig made his senior international debut in a test series against India in 2014, before competing the Champions Trophy in Bhubaneswar, India. [5]

Craig has become a regular inclusion in the Australian team since his debut, and most notably was a member of the team at the 2018 Commonwealth Games where the team won a gold medal. [6]

In November 2018, Craig was named in the squad for the Hockey World Cup in Bhubaneswar, India. [7] The Kookaburras came 3rd, after losing the semi-final to the Netherlands (2-2 Regular time, 4-3 Shootouts), but beating England 8–1 in the Bronze Medal match. Craig scoring 4 Goals from the tournament, including the Hattrick in the Bronze Medal match. [8]

Craig was a part of the team that won the Inaugural FIH Pro League [9] in 2019, Defeating Belgium in the Grand Final 3–2, scoring 3 Goals for the Kookaburras throughout the Campaign.

Craig was selected in the Kookaburras Olympics squad for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. The team reached the final for the first time since 2004 but couldn't achieve gold, beaten by Belgium in a shootout. [10]

Domestic Hockey

In 2019 Craig was a member of the NSW Pride that took out the Inaugural Hockey One competition alongside fellow Kookaburras selected from the Tournament, including Flynn Ogilvie, Tim Brand, Lachlan Sharp, Matt Dawson, Kurt Lovett and Blake Govers. [11] After the 2020 Summer Olympics he joined Dutch Hoofdklasse club Klein Zwitserland. [12] In 2024 he joined Kalinga Lancers in Hockey India League. [13]

2024 Paris Olympics

Craig was a member of the Kookaburras and was in Paris to compete in the 2024 Summer Olympics. After departing a team function on the evening of 6 August, Craig was arrested in Paris for allegedly purchasing cocaine in the 9th arrondissement; [14] he was released with a warning after spending 18 hours in custody. [15] [16] After his arrest, Craig publicly apologized. [15] [17] Craig lost all remaining Olympic privileges [18] [19] and was handed a 12-month ban, with six months suspended, following an investigation by Hockey Australia. [17] Despite the ban, Craig remains eligible for the 2025 national squad. [17]

Personal life

Craig's girlfriend, Alice Arnott, is a player for the Hockeyroos, the sister team of the Kookaburras. He is a qualified solicitor. [14]

References

  1. "Tom Craig". Hockey Australia . Retrieved 17 June 2017.
  2. "AUSTRALIA WIN SECOND GAMES AND CLOSE OUT THE SERIES". Oceania Hockey Federation . Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  3. "Uttar Pradesh Hockey Junior World Cup Men Lucknow 2016". International Hockey Federation . Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  4. "Australia". International Hockey Federation . Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  5. "CRAIG Tom". International Hockey Federation . Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  6. "Tom CRAIG". Gold Coast 2018. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  7. "Kookaburras Team Announced For World Cup Defence". Hockey Australia . Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  8. "FIH". www.worldcup2018.hockey. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
  9. "FIH Pro League". www.fihproleague.com. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
  10. "Australian Olympic Team for Tokyo 2021". The Roar. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
  11. "Kookaburras Squad Announced For 2020". hockey.org.au. Hockey Australia. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  12. "Ook Klein Zwitserland Komt Met Versterkingen Richting Nieuwe Seizoen". hoofdklassehockey.nl (in Dutch). 3 June 2021. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  13. "No global sanction against 'banned' Tom Craig, can play in Hockey India League". Times of India . 29 October 2024. ISSN   0971-8257 . Retrieved 7 January 2025.
  14. 1 2 Magnay, Jacquelin; Ralph, Jon (8 August 2024). "Aussie hockey athlete Tom Craig released with warning after cocaine arrest at 2024 Paris Olympic Games". Herald Sun .
  15. 1 2 Chammas, Michael; Pascual Juanola, Marta (7 August 2024). "'I've embarrassed you all': Hockey star released as photo emerges of cocaine arrest". Sydney Morning Herald . Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  16. "Aussie hockey player apologises after Paris cocaine arrest". Australian Financial Review . 7 August 2024. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  17. 1 2 3 "Australia hockey player banned after cocaine bust at Paris Games". Reuters . 10 September 2024.
  18. Ralph, Jon (7 August 2024). "Aussie hockey athlete arrested on suspicion of buying cocaine at 2024 Paris Olympic Games". Herald Sun. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
  19. Doyle, Michael (7 August 2024). "'I've embarrassed you all': Australian hockey player Tom Craig arrested in Paris trying to buy cocaine". ABC News . Retrieved 8 August 2024.