Sharon Buchanan
Encyclopedia
Sharon Lee Buchanan OAM
(born 12 March 1963 in Western Australia
) is a retired field hockey
forward, who competed in three Summer Olympics for her native country, starting in 1984.
Buchanan earned selections in four Olympic hockey squads and was the team captain from 1989 to 1992, at a time when Australia was considered the best in the world. She originally played inside forward, but later chose the center-half role. When she was just twelve years old she was nominated to the Western Australian under-16 squad and one year later she was picked for the Australian under-16 squad.
Buchanan graduated through the under-19 and senior teams and earned a place in the national team bound for the 1980 Summer Olympics
in Moscow. Unfortunately a boycott was imposed, following the USSR's invasion of Afghanistan
in 1979.
Four years later, Buchanan was part of the Los Angeles Olympic team, but it wasn't until 1988 that the Australian Team won gold at the Seoul Olympics
. The Australians ran second in the 1989 Champions Trophy in Berlin with Buchanan as captain and second at the 1990 Women's Hockey World Cup in Sydney, and then returned to Berlin to win the 1991 Champions Trophy. Buchanan was named Player of the Tournament and also won her second nomination in a World Team.
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
(born 12 March 1963 in Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
) is a retired field hockey
Field hockey
Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
forward, who competed in three Summer Olympics for her native country, starting in 1984.
Buchanan earned selections in four Olympic hockey squads and was the team captain from 1989 to 1992, at a time when Australia was considered the best in the world. She originally played inside forward, but later chose the center-half role. When she was just twelve years old she was nominated to the Western Australian under-16 squad and one year later she was picked for the Australian under-16 squad.
Buchanan graduated through the under-19 and senior teams and earned a place in the national team bound for the 1980 Summer Olympics
1980 Summer Olympics
The 1980 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Moscow in the Soviet Union. In addition, the yachting events were held in Tallinn, and some of the preliminary matches and the quarter-finals of the football tournament...
in Moscow. Unfortunately a boycott was imposed, following the USSR's invasion of Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
in 1979.
Four years later, Buchanan was part of the Los Angeles Olympic team, but it wasn't until 1988 that the Australian Team won gold at the Seoul Olympics
1988 Summer Olympics
The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, were an all international multi-sport events celebrated from September 17 to October 2, 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. They were the second summer Olympic Games to be held in Asia and the first since the 1964 Summer Olympics...
. The Australians ran second in the 1989 Champions Trophy in Berlin with Buchanan as captain and second at the 1990 Women's Hockey World Cup in Sydney, and then returned to Berlin to win the 1991 Champions Trophy. Buchanan was named Player of the Tournament and also won her second nomination in a World Team.