Ayeisha McFerran and the Irish squad achieved immortality in 2018 when they reached the final of the Hockey World Cup. It was a monumental achievement, but McFerran has shared some terrible news about her silver medal from the tournament.
In a tweet posted on Tuesday afternoon, McFerran said that her apartment in Utrecht in the Netherlands had been broken into overnight. Amongst other belongings, her silver medal from the 2018 World Cup was stolen.
Please help!!!
Some coward decided to break into my apartment & steal mine & my roommates belongings! Among that was my 2018 World Cup medal which is more valuable than all electronics!
I would appreciate any help from the hockey world & Utrecht family in finding my medal🙏🏻 pic.twitter.com/yBGyOxor13— Ayeisha McFerran OLY (@Ayeeishaa) June 22, 2021
The reprehensible robbery has left McFerran without one of her most prized possessions, and any sporting fan can imagine how valued the World Cup medal must be to her. We at Balls.ie would echo McFerran's call for help - she has appealed for people to get in contact if any hints of the medal are spotted on resale sites or the like.
Goalkeeper McFerran was an influential part of the Irish side, which became the first ever Irish team to reach a World Cup final. Both the quarter-final against India and the semi-final against Spain were decided by a penalty shootout, with McFerran making three saves out of four against India and four saves out of six against Spain.
For the pivotal role she played in getting Ireland to the final of the tournament, McFerran was named goalkeeper of the tournament. The Antrim native was praised as one of the best goalkeepers in the world in the official player of the tournament announcements.
The 22 year-old Irish goalkeeper epitomised the spirit of this famous Irish team. A leader from the back, her battling attitude provided confidence and direction which kept her team focused and motivated throughout the competition.
Having lost only three goals in their run to the final, McFerran proved the hero in all of Ireland's shootout victories - against Asian champions India in the quarter-final and Spain in the semi-final. Whilst she could not stop a powerful Dutch performance in the final, McFerran has emerged from this event as one of the world's leading goalkeepers.
We certainly hope that Ayeisha McFerran is reunited with her medal as soon as possible. The star of the 2018 World Cup for Ireland deserves the recognition for her outstanding performances and how she represented the country as a crucial part of one of its proudest ever sporting achievements.
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