Hockey player

London 2012 will be 29-year-old Marsha Marescia’s third Olympic Games. It also presents another opportunity to achieve her aim of “always being a threat to the opposition”. With beauty, brains and brawn, the dynamic captain of the South African women’s hockey team is a triple threat to competitors and, combined with rock-solid dedication, a true champion to her country.

With the nickname “Nator” (as in “Terminator”), the midfielder boasts over 250 caps in her 11 years of playing on the national squad, which she has captained since she was 23. Leaving a career in branding behind to focus full-time on hockey, Marescia is currently based in Holland, playing for Rotterdam Hockey Club.

Having represented South Africa in two Olympic Games, two World Cups and the Commonwealth Games, she hopes her experience will help her team in London 2012 and lead them to the one thing that makes all the hard work worthwhile: “sweet victory”.

— Lu Larche

Twitter: @MarshaM8