Olivia Merry
Age: 30
Height: 1.82m
Event: Hockey
Born: March 16, 1992 at Christchurch
Position: Forward
Coach: Darren Smith
Previous Commonwealth Games: Glasgow 2014 (bronze), Gold Coast 2018 (gold)
With more than 100 goals to her name, no player has found the back of the net more for the Black Sticks women than Olivia Merry.
The Christchurch native is one of the deadliest strikers in world hockey and was part of the New Zealand side that stunned hosts Australia to win Commonwealth Games gold on the Gold Coast in 2018.
That victory came after the women’s bronze medal won at Glasgow in 2014.
Merry was nominated for the FIH Player of the Year award in 2019, alongside teammate Stacey Michelsen, with both Kiwis losing out to Eva de Goede of the Netherlands.
Birmingham will be Merry's second Commonwealth Games appearance and she will have three teammates - Tarryn Davey, Frances Davies and Grace O'Hanlon - from the gold-winning squad from four years ago.
The Black Sticks women face archrivals Australia, South Africa, Kenya and Scotland in their pool, beginning with the African side on July 29.
