Olympic champion Susannah Townsend claims she knew a gold medal with the GB women’s hockey team in Rio was her destiny.

The 27-year-old Canterbury Ladies star helped GB win seven straight games to reach Friday night’s final at Deodoro and despite having to defend tirelessly against the much-fancied, reigning champions the Netherlands, GB secured a 3-3 draw and then won in a dramatic penalty shoot-out to claim a historic victory.

Townsend, a former Sutton Valence School pupil, said: “It’s a cliche to say it’s a dream come true but I truly did believe we would win a gold medal at this Olympics.

“We prepared for four years for this moment so it wasn’t by chance that we put ourselves in this situation where we could bring a gold medal back to Britain.”

GB were the only team to win all their group games, opening with a memorable victory over Australia before successes against India, Argentina, Japan and the USA. They saw off Spain 3-1 in the quarter-finals before a 3-0 success against New Zealand in the semi-finals last Wednesday night.

In their first ever final which guaranteed them at least a silver medal, GB took the lead and although they trailed 2-1 and 3-2, they battled back to level and force the dramatic penalty shuttles.

GB keeper Maddie Hinch, who plays for Rochester side Holcombe, stopped four Dutch attempts allowing Hollie Webb the chance to seal glory with a convincing finish.

Townsend – who has spent more than 14 years playing at Polo Farm – admitted: “When it went to penalties I knew we would win. We practise them so that we can execute them in these circumstances.

“I had complete faith in the girls taking them and Maddie, as I see them do it every single week. It was never in doubt.”

Since her triumphant return to the UK aboard gold-nosed BA plane VictoRIOus on Tuesday, Townsend has been caught in a whirlwind of prime-time TV appearances and media commitments.

She said: “I am overwhelmed by the response from back home. I am always proud to represent my country but this is something truly special. I am proud to be part of Team GB and represent the most amazing country. As a team we live by our values and we conduct ourselves in a way every day that has enabled us all to achieve this success.”