CREED Brendan William John

General
POSITIVES IN POSTPONEMENT
In May 2020 he said he had "lost a lot of motivation" after the Olympic Games in Tokyo were postponed, but he also said he managed to turn a negative into a positive because of the extra time he now had to prepare himself for selection trials, and to recover from the knee injury he suffered in October 2019. "The postponement gives me a full season to attack everything. I think I would have had six games before Tokyo selection, which was a pretty crazy time frame. It's been a big old roller coaster, but I feel like I know and trust my body so much better now. I lost a lot of oomph when the Olympics were postponed, but the extra year just changes the outlook in terms of getting comfortable and being confident again. In terms of the longevity of my career, it's made a huge positive difference." (bbc.co.uk, 11 May 2020; teamgb.com, 26 Oct 2020)

REDISCOVERING BOULDERING
He credits bouldering with helping him to recover from the knee injury he suffered in October 2019. "I was keen on bouldering before my injury, and I found I could test my rehab work out on the walls. [Fellow Great Britain hockey player] Tom Sorsby and I go together, and one of our physios is a big fan. It's brilliant for wrists and forearms, different parts of your hamstring and quads. The first few sessions were horrendous, but it's a really nice environment in there. It's all about problem-solving, and other climbers help you out with the best paths to take. I'd love to go and watch it at the Olympics - bouldering is fascinating." (bbc.co.uk, 11 May 2020; teamgb.com, 26 Oct 2020)

BULLYING AND SPORT
He has said that being bullied as a kid at school is something that has changed the course of his life and changed his character, as it led to him becoming even more committed to pursuing sport as a career. "I was bullied in primary school, mainly because I was good at sports. It's a tough thing to get your head around as a youngster, and so the only places I felt safe were on a sports pitch or at home - places I knew I could express myself freely without fear." (thehockeypaper.co.uk, 26 May 2021)

FURTHER EDUCATION
In addition to his bachelor of science degree in sport and exercise science from Sheffield Hallam University, he is also studying a bachelor of science degree in psychology from the Open University in England, from which he is expected to graduate in 2022. (LinkedIn profile, 30 May 2021; chesterhc.co.uk, 11 Aug 2020)