TIMING is everything in sport and Emily Maguire has reason to appreciate that more than most. Approaching the end of her Applied Mathematics and Statistics degree at Glasgow University – she would eventually graduate with first class honours – the thought dawned on her that she would likely have to start thinking about trying to get a proper job.

A promising, enthusiastic young hockey player, there was little scope at that point to take her interest to the next level. Then, by a rather fortunate coincidence, a decision was announced to create a funded Team GB programme that would begin just months after Maguire was due to graduate. That was in 2009 and the 27-year-old from Paisley hasn’t looked back since, her career highlights including an Olympic bronze medal claimed as part of Team GB at the 2012 London Games. Barely a day goes by when she doesn’t count her blessings that she is yet to put that maths degree to good use.

“I never thought about playing hockey as a career when I was growing up,” said Maguire, one of the Sunday Herald’s Six to Watch ahead of next year’s Rio Olympics. “When the GB programme was centralised in 2009 that was the first time it had been done, so before that it hadn’t been an option. Until then, becoming a professional hockey player had never crossed my mind. Things like the Olympics weren’t on the radar. I was just at uni and looking to get a proper job when I finished.

“So I got really lucky with the timing. I graduated in June 2009 and we started the programme in September. That summer we had the European Championships in August so I was in Scotland preparing for that. Then after the Euros I packed my bags, drove south and started with Team GB. And I’ve been there ever since, in the same flat with the same flat-mate – it’s crazy when you think about it.”

Her interest in hockey was well established by 2009. Her older brother Paul was a member of the Kelburne club in Paisley – a short walk from the Maguire home – and a curious Emily toddled around the corner with him one day to see what the fuss was about. She was just five and already had her first hockey stick in her hand.

“Once you’ve taken those first steps, it just depends on how much you enjoy it,” the defender said. “I couldn’t even begin to say how import- ant my early coaches and the junior set-up at Kelburne were. You don’t really appreciate it at the time but, reflecting on it now, you can see how important they were in shaping my involvement in the game.”

Maguire is one of only a smattering of Scots to be involved in the Team GB camp, while also remaining an integral part of the Scottish team preparing for the EuroHockey Nations Championship taking place in London this month. Jumping between the two groups provokes some gentle ribbing from both sides. “I have endless respect for the Scotland girls who all work as well as playing hockey,” Maguire said. “They are trying to be essentially professional athletes, and I have so much respect for that and for their level of dedication and commitment. They like to give me stick about not having a proper job, although I get that from my brother, too.”

Maguire, one of two Scots to win Olympic bronze in 2012 (Laura Bartlett was the other), has been part of the Team GB side for so long that her nationality is almost forgotten about. Well, most of the time.

“I’ve been down there so long – six years now – I’m just part of the furniture,” she says. “But they always say they can tell when I’ve been back home visiting as I come back with a stronger Scottish accent.”

That accent will be particularly strong just now. Maguire has been ensconced in the Scotland camp for the past fortnight, a week in Hamburg and another in Madrid as part of the build-up towards the Euros. There is, of course, occasional downtime and the players are particularly inventive when it comes to amusing themselves. Hence, the online videos of their synchronised diving, and talk of a looming squad dance-off.

“You have to get the balance right,” Maguire said. “We work really hard on the training pitch but when you get some downtime it’s important to switch off from hockey if you can. It’s like any job – sometimes it’s good to have other distractions. You get to relax a bit, play cards, go for a walk and just spend time in each other’s company. I don’t know if this is a hypothetical dance-off or it is actually going to happen. I certainly won’t be the first one up if it does!”

Once the Euros are over, the focus will return to Team GB and stepping up the preparations for Rio to try to emulate, or even improve on, what happened in London in 2012.

“Without a shadow of a doubt that’s my career highlight so far,” Maguire said.”It’s hard to believe it was three years ago. It was a brilliant time for British hockey and for me to play a little part in it is something I will always remember and be proud of. Now we want to win a medal in Rio and we know we have that in us. We’re playing some fantastic hockey but it’s going to need another step up if we are going to challenge for gold.

“There is serious opposition out there – the Dutch, for example, are playing some really good hockey – so we will have to work very hard over the next year. That’s sport and why I love it, that challenge to try to overcome the very best. If you want to be the best, you have to beat the best.”