For Laura Unsworth, Great Britain’s gifted defender, the topsy-turvy denouement to their Tokyo campaign, which ended with a rollercoaster bronze medal, “summed up our whole cycle.”

Unsworth, 33, broke into the Great Britain’s women squad after the Beijing Olympics. It took a while for the Sutton Coldfield ace to adapt to the rigours of international hockey. A third Olympic hockey medal – the first British male or female player to achieve the mark – has now cemented her place as one of the outstanding defenders over the last decade in the world game.

“This is definitely up there,” the East Grinstead defender said after a pulsating 4-3 win over India. “This has probably been my most challenging cycle since I first started, so on a personal note this is probably the most special medal out of all three of them.