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26 years ago, Angie Lambert was the youngest Hockeyroo standing on top of the Olympic podium in Sydney.
This week, almost 26 years on, she is looking to the next generation.
Speaking at the QAS Team Huddle, Lambert reflected on the standards, belief and competitive culture behind one of Australian hockey’s greatest eras, and how those lessons now shape the way she coaches.
At 19, Lambert was learning what it took to win on the world’s biggest stage. Today, as the Hockey Queensland Women’s High Performance Head Coach and QAS Gen2032 graduate, she is helping young Queensland athletes discover what it could take to get there themselves.
Lambert made her Hockeyroos debut at 17. Two years later, she was an Olympic champion after Australia defeated Argentina 3-1 to win gold on home soil.
But beyond the medal, Lambert remembers the environment behind it.
She reflected on a team where athletes constantly challenged each other, competition for places was fierce and teammates drove standards higher.
It also taught her the importance of knowing what makes an athlete different.
High performers can spend so much time focusing on what they need to improve that they lose sight of what they already do exceptionally well.
Her message to the next generation was simple: know your strengths and back them.
After more than 200 internationals and three Olympic Games, Lambert’s contribution to hockey continued from the sidelines.
She joined the QAS Gen2032 Coach Development Program, graduating in 2024 as part of an initiative developing Queensland coaches on the road to Brisbane 2032.
Today, she is passing those lessons on to emerging hockey talent.
Rising athlete Jamie-Lee Surha, who joined Lambert at the Huddle alongside Kookaburra Joel Rintala and fellow Olympic gold medallist Matt Wells, spoke about an environment where athletes are encouraged to express themselves and develop the qualities that make them different.
For Lambert, the next generation does not need to recreate the Hockeyroos of Sydney 2000.
But the standards, belief and culture behind their success still have plenty to teach them.
26 years after winning gold at a home Olympic Games, Lambert is now helping another generation build towards one of their own.
Great teams leave a legacy.
Angie Lambert is helping shape what comes next.
