Experienced campaigner... Nikki Hudson is looking for a second Olympic gold medal. (Getty Images: Paul Kane)

Beijing will be Australian hockey star Nikki Hudson's third Olympic Games.

She will be hoping to match her debut Olympic performance in Sydney when the team won a gold medal.

Hudson captained the Australian team to the gold medal during the Melbourne Commonwealth Games.

Despite being a self-confessed joker within the Hockeyroos, Hudson says she is focussed on the job at hand.

She says Australia is wary of the Netherlands most of all because of their physical and tactical strength.

To watch her interview with the ABC, click here.

Australia's "Mrs Hockey" Nikki Hudson has sealed selection for her third Olympic Games.

Hudson, 32, already the most capped Australian female hockey player in history, will play her 300th international in Beijing after being confirmed in the Hockeyroos squad today.

"Its almost a surreal feeling,'' Hudson said. "Not only am I going to the Olympics, but it's my third one. You can't ever get sick of how exciting that feels."

Hudson will be joined by her fellow Sydney 2000 gold medallists Angie Lambert (Skirving) and Rachel Imison along with three other players they competed with in Athens 2004, Nicole Arrold, Emily Halliday and Melanie Wells (Twitt).

"The best team was definitely picked,'' Hudson said. "The young players bring so much vitality to the team and we are able to give them insight into the experiences and emotion that come with the Games.''

In addition to the wealth of experience brought by these Games veterans, the team boasts 10 young players making their Olympic debut in Beijing.

"We're going into the Games with a good chance of a medal,'' head Coach Frank Murray said.

"We have a really good mix of experienced strong defensive players as well as new players with a strong future in hockey ahead of them.''

Casey Eastham, 19, is the youngest member of the team.

The squad is: Nicole Arrold, Teneal Attard, Madonna Blyth, Casey Eastham, Emily Halliday, Kate Hollywood, Nikki Hudson, Rachel Imison, Fiona Johnson, Angie Lambert, Kobie McGurk, Hope Munro, Megan Rivers, Kim Walker, Melanie Wells, Sarah Young.

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THE omens are lining up for Gold Coaster Nikki Hudson to lead the Hockeyroos on another Olympic gold medal raid.

The Australian co-captain is not only expected to be the first Hockeyroo to reach the 300-Test and 100-goal milestones in Beijing, she will also turn 32 -- the number she wears on her back.

"It is a big thrill, very exciting. You never get over the fact of being picked for the Olympics," she said from the Hockeyroos training camp in Perth yesterday after being named in the Australian 16-woman squad for Beijing.

This will be Hudson's third consecutive Olympics. She was part of the gold-medal winning combination in Sydney (2000) and again in Athens, when the Hockeyroos fell to a disappointing fifth.

Hudson currently has 293 Tests and 93 goals to her credit, but is expected to reach the magical 300 and 100 during the Olympics. The veteran striker believes the experienced players in the Australian squad must shoulder the responsibility of lifting the Hockeyroos back on top of the world rankings at the Games after a less-than-convincing fifth at the recent Champions Trophy.

"We have played some good hockey in the last 12 months but just recently the Champions Trophy was a bad result," said Hudson.

"But I think we were under a lot of pressure because it was the last selection tournament and a few people were really feeling it.

"Now it is just a big relief that it is off our shoulders, but we have a long way to go. We have a good chance in Beijing. I am confident of a medal and hopefully that will be gold.

"It is up to the senior members in Beijing to all play exceptionally well and for the younger ones to follow that example."

Hudson has no plans of retirement after these Olympics and is determined to compete at an international level through to the London Games in 2012.

"London is still well in my sights. In the last couple of months I have done some soul-searching after some minor injuries and I still think I am up for it. I love my life as an elite athlete and I don't want to live the real life just yet," she said.

"So, London is what I am aiming for and I will hopefully reach that while based on the Gold Coast."

Hudson said she was confident in her own form ahead of Beijing after being sidelined for three weeks with a hamstring injury.

"I am back running and feeling good," she said.

"I did not play as well as I wanted to at the Champions Trophy. No matter how much experience you have you still have your down days."

The Hockeyroos play four Tests in Japan at the end of this month before returning into camp in Perth for two weeks ahead of the Games.

The Australian women's hockey squad for Beijing:

Nicole Arrold, Teneal Attard, Madonna Blyth, Casey Eastham, Emily Halliday, Kate Hollywood, Nikki Hudson, Rachel Imison, Fiona Johnson, Angie Lambert, Kobie McGurk, Hope Munro, Megan Rivers, Kim Walker, Melanie Wells, Sarah Young.

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By Pat Mcleod
www.goldcoast.com.au