Ireland finished as runners up in the recently ended women’s Hockey World Cup, losing 6-0 to eight-time champions Netherlands and that feat saw an Irish player got her name etched in the history books.
It was Ireland’s first appearance in the tournament in 16 years.
Meet Elena Tice - one of the few female cricketers who have represented their country in two sports. The other elite players are Australia all-rounder Ellyse Perry (football), New Zealand captain Suzie Bates (basketball) and all-rounder Sophie Devine (hockey).
At a tender age of 13, leg-spinner Elena made her One-Day International (ODI) debut for Ireland. Elena, who was the third youngest female cricketer to make her ODI debut, co-incidentally played her maiden ODI against the Dutch.
Two weeks short of 18, Elena then made her first appearance for Ireland’s senior hockey team. Now, at an age of 20, she is a silver-medal holder in the World Cup. Courtesy of their runners up finish, Ireland are expected to break into top-10 rankings for the very first time.
Born in Basingstoke, Hampshire, her family moved to Indianapolis in the USA when Elena was just four. There she picked up baseball before the family relocated once again. This time, they head to Vienna , where she took her first steps into cricket.
Elena went on to play for the Austria Cricket Club later. At nine, she moved back to Ireland where she began playing school cricket for Aravon School while also lining up for the Merrion Cricket Club. The same year marked her initiation into hockey too.
Since her childhood, Elena has pottered in several other sports too, including football, rugby, horse-riding and Evented (an equestrian event) until about age 13.
Elena is the youngest of three siblings. One of her brothers, Patrick, represented the Ireland's Under-19s and Cambridge University as wicketkeeper-batsman. The other brother, Dalton, played rugby with the Leinster Under-19s. A huge supporter of Manchester United, she looked up to the legendary Paul Scholes and all-rounder Andrew Flintoff for his charisma in cricket.
