Margaret River’s Aran Zalewski hopes to be a part of the Kookaburras side ahead next year’s Commonwealth Games

The South West’s first Olympic medallist since 2004 is hoping to be a part of the Kookaburras side which will attempt to maintain Australia’s flawless record at next year’s Commonwealth Games. Margaret River’s Aran Zalewski has retained his spot in the 2022 Australian Men’s hockey high performance program, as the Kookaburras look towards the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, where they will compete for a seventh consecutive gold medal. Zalewski — who is already a dual Commonwealth Games gold medallist — said while Australia had never achieved less than the ultimate prize at the event, recent strong performances from New Zealand, England and Olympic bronze medallists India meant the men in green and gold needed to be at their best. “We’re really looking forward to this Commonwealth Games tournament and we have got some tough competition,” he said. “It’s still a really good competition and it is great for some countries who aren’t at the Olympics to showcase their skills, and you often get some unpredictable results.” Zalewski has played 201 games in green and gold, and was co-captain of the Kookaburras side which claimed a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics after losing 3-2 to Belgium in a shootout — becoming Margaret River’s first-ever Olympic medallist. The squad had three months off from training after the games and returned to training on Wednesday. The Margaret River product said he and his teammates would be better off for the break after the mental and physical strain of a five-year Olympic cycle and the pandemic. “I think Tokyo was a really good campaign for the Kookaburras, we played the hockey we wanted to play but ultimately didn’t get the result,” he said. “Over the last three months, it has been a great time for the players, the coaches and the organisation as a whole to have a break, refresh and reflect. “We can always get fit and be fit, but the hardest thing is to stay mentally fresh and prepared to put yourself and your body through lots of the things we have to do as athletes. “It’s a challenging environment, and there is lots of pressure and stress mentally, and pressure and stresses on your physical body also.” Zalewski said the shortened gap between the Tokyo Games and the 2024 Paris Olympics could be a blessing in disguise for the side. “As athletes we compartmentalise things a lot and look to block bits of times as goals to not look too far ahead,” he said. “I like to set short goals and breaking them up in the next three years is quite easy. “We’ve got the Commonwealth Games in six months, another six months to the World Cup and then it’s a short turn around to the Olympics.” At 31, Zalewski is the fifth-oldest Kookaburra in the squad, but said he was driven to be at the Paris Games. “I am still motivated to push through to the next Olympic cycle, but I am well aware things happen and change in sport really quick,” he said. “Hopefully for the next three years the team can keep building and growing, it’s a really exciting time for the Kookaburras. “We have had five years as a group under the same staff to consolidate who we are as a group, and I think the next three years is a great chance to extend that growth.”