Anita McLaren
McLaren at the 2012 Summer Olympics
Personal information
Born (1987-10-02) 2 October 1987
Nelson, New Zealand
Height 1.63 m (5 ft 4 in)[1]
Weight 55 kg (121 lb)
Playing position Midfielder
Club information
Current club Capital
Senior career
Years Team
2005– Capital
National team
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2009–2018 New Zealand 264 (42)
Medal record
Representing  New Zealand
Women's field hockey
Commonwealth Games
Gold medal – first place2018 Gold CoastTeam
Silver medal – second place2010 DelhiTeam
Bronze medal – third place2014 GlasgowTeam
Champions Trophy
Bronze medal – third place2011 Amstelveen
Champions Challenge
Gold medal – first place2009 Cape Town

Anita McLaren (née Punt; born 2 October 1987) is a New Zealand field hockey player.[2] She competed for the New Zealand women's national field hockey team (the Black Sticks Women) from 2009 to 2018, including for the team at the 2010 Commonwealth Games and the 2012 Summer Olympics.[1][3][4]

Career

Born in Nelson to Nicolaas and Adele McLaren, Anita Punt is of Dutch descent through her father and holds dual New Zealand and Dutch citizenship.[5] She attended Waimea College in nearby Richmond, before moving to Wellington at age 18 to focus on her hockey with the Capital National Hockey League team.[6] McLaren was first selected for the Black Sticks Women in June 2009, along with ten other players as the Black Sticks squad was overhauled following its last place finish at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.[7] She played her first match for New Zealand on 19 June 2009 against India in hometown Nelson.[5] She helped New Zealand win a bronze medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, scoring the first goal in the bronze medal match.[8][9]

McLaren has a reputation for her speed, being touted as one of the fastest female hockey players in the world with a time over ten metres ranking her within the top eight of the Black Sticks Men's squad.[10][11][12] In February 2013, McLaren was entered as a wildcard entry into the annual International Track Meet in Christchurch,[13] in which she won the 100 metres in 12.61 seconds (on a grass track and with a strong 2.9 m/s headwind), beating many seasoned New Zealand track athletes.[14] She later won the 100 metres and 200 metres at the Porritt Classic in Hamilton,[15] before competing in the New Zealand Track and Field Championships in March 2013 in Auckland. However, McLaren was off pace and came fifth in the 100 metres, with a time of 12.23 seconds (wind +0.1 m/s).[16]

As of August 2012, McLaren resided on the North Shore of Auckland.[17] She is a retail assistant by trade,[2] but is currently studying veterinary nursing.[17] She married decathlete Scott McLaren in March 2016.[18]

McLaren announced her retirement from international hockey in October 2018. She subsequently headed the sport department at King's College in Auckland.[19]

References

  1. 1 2 "Anita Punt – London 2012 Olympics". Archived from the original on 10 August 2012. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
  2. 1 2 "Black Sticks Women". Retrieved 3 June 2016.
  3. ↑ "New Zealand Hockey Representatives – Women" (PDF). Hockey New Zealand. 24 April 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 June 2014. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
  4. ↑ "New Zealand Goal Scorers – Women" (PDF). Hockey New Zealand. 24 April 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 June 2014. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
  5. 1 2 "Warming up for World Cup". Nelson Mail (via Stuff.co.nz). 23 August 2010. Retrieved 17 December 2012.
  6. ↑ Martin, Wayne (21 July 2012). "Going for gold: Local athletes' quest for Olympic glory". Nelson Mail (via Stuff.co.nz). Retrieved 12 August 2012.
  7. ↑ "Fresh new talent defines the 2009 Black Sticks women's national squad". Hockey New Zealand. 2 June 2009. Archived from the original on 9 February 2013. Retrieved 20 December 2012.
  8. ↑ "Glasgow 2014 – Anita Punt Profile". g2014results.thecgf.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 May 2017.
  9. ↑ "Glasgow 2014 – Women's Bronze Medal Match". g2014results.thecgf.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 May 2017.
  10. ↑ Geenty, Mark (20 July 2011). "Speed queen dishes out plenty of stick". The Dominion Post (via Stuff.co.nz). Retrieved 22 December 2012.
  11. ↑ Worthington, Sam (16 June 2012). "Punt primed for the real deal this time around". The Dominion Post (via Stuff.co.nz). Retrieved 22 December 2012.
  12. ↑ "In the Spotlight.... New Zealand Women – A closer look at the 24 competing teams in London". International Hockey Federation (FIH). 12 July 2012. Retrieved 22 December 2012.
  13. ↑ Johannsen, Dana (2 February 2013). "Athletics: Hockey ace keen to take on track stars". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
  14. ↑ "Athletics: Hockey rep wins on track". The New Zealand Herald. 3 February 2013. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
  15. ↑ Goile, Aaron (11 February 2013). "Black Stick and track star: Hockey player wins sprints in Hamilton". Waikato Times. Retrieved 14 April 2013.
  16. ↑ Johannsen, Dana (23 March 2013). "Athletics: NZ's new fastest man set on trimming time". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 14 April 2013.
  17. 1 2 Gallagher, Kerry (21 August 2012). "No medal a letdown". Rodney Times (via Stuff.co.nz). Retrieved 24 August 2012.
  18. ↑ "Anita Punt's romantic wedding". 1 April 2016. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
  19. ↑ "Anita McLaren ends record New Zealand Hockey career". The Hockey Paper. 17 October 2018. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
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