ALMOST five years have passed since Maddie Hinch's life changed forever.

In one of the standout moments from the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, Hinch became one of Great Britain's stars of the event.

The nation was gripped, with around nine million said to have tuned in to see GB's women's hockey team face Netherlands in the gold medal match.

BBC News at Ten was pushed back from its regular slot as the game was forced to a penalty shootout, where Hinch and GB claimed the dramatic triumph.

Southampton-born Hinch stole the headlines. Having already made a string of brilliant saves in the 3-3 draw, the goalkeeper was then not beaten by any of the Dutch takers to guide her side to a 2-0 victory in the shootout.

Television appearances, becoming a household name and even receiving an MBE from Prince William, who informed Hinch he had watched the final with his family, all followed in a crazy few months.

But, naturally, the furore died down. Two years on from that glorious high, Hinch had hit a low and stepped away from hockey altogether, and was last year diagnosed with depression.

Reflecting on a rollercoaster of emotions over the past five years, Hinch told the Daily Echo: "I don’t really feel like it (winning gold) honestly ever happened. I wish I could’ve bottled the emotion, bottled the crowd noise, everything, so I could remember how that was.

"We definitely didn’t see it coming. The possibility of winning was always there, but on that scale, in front of the attention that we had around it, the way the final went, that is like fairytale stuff.

"You never think, oh I need to be prepared if all this happens. You just don’t think that far ahead.

"It was an incredible period, but I guess coming off the back of it, none of us were really ready for that. None of us really knew how to kind of handle the increased amount of attention, the being dragged left, right and centre to do all sorts of stuff. Being put in situations that were normally so far out of our comfort zones, but we were on a huge high so we kind of all just got stuck into it and it was just like a constant celebration.

"Naturally then that high deteriorates and over time it becomes less of a big deal. I think it’s that kind of high to low that’s a struggle for a lot of Olympic athletes. You’re constantly chasing that kind of high again. That I guess has been the challenge since."

Now in Tokyo, Hinch could get the chance to replicate that high as she defends the net for GB at this year's delayed Olympic Games, with the first match to come against Germany on Sunday.

However, the 32-year-old believes had she not taken a break from the sport three years ago, she would not be in Japan right now.

"It was very important that I did that," she explained.

"I don’t know really whether I would have continued or what kind of place I would’ve been in if I hadn’t decided to do something about it.

"So it was definitely the right call. It was just an opportunity to reflect on why I’m still in the game in the first place.

"It had become a point up until that break where I dreaded putting my kit on and I just was like hanging on.

"So to have that break and get a restart button pressed was nice. A tough decision, for sure, because for the first time in a long time I was handing over the shirt that I’d worked so hard to make mine and I knew I’d have to come back and fight for it again.

"But I also knew if I didn’t do something about it, the shirt would probably be taken away from me whether I liked it or not. So it was definitely the right call."

Discussing her depression diagnosis, Hinch continued: "I think just an answer to so much confusion I guess was key. It’s obviously not something that I was particularly pleased about, of course, but I was relieved to kind of feel like I wasn’t crazy, if that sounds right?

"From that day on it’s definitely been like an improvement all the time. These things aren’t quick fixes and I still have pretty low days, but at the same time I’m more accepting of those days because I kind of know why. Whereas for two years I could not understand what was going on.

"It’s hard to open up and admit what is seen as a weakness, but if you hurt your elbow, you go and get physio and no-one bats an eyelid about that, so why don’t we do the same about how we’re feeling?"

She added: "I never really intended to share that side of my life, it just had kind of become natural. It was great to see that it meant a lot to people for me to share that with them.

"So if it’s helped one athlete be more prepared for that to potentially happen to them after the Games, great. And also just to accept it’s really normal and a lot of us go through it."

Hinch and GB have had an extra year to prepare for this year's Games, after it was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic last summer.

And the nation's stopper found the positives from the enforced lockdown, describing herself as a "DIY Dave" who became "obsessed with Pinterest" as she transformed her Maidenhead home for both herself and French bulldog Willow, who has begun to build up quite the following on social media.

So, could Hinch be bringing another gold medal back to her home next month?

"We definitely have a target on our backs as reigning champs," she admits.

"But I think it’s one we have to embrace and not fear. I’ve thought long and hard about how we’re going to do. It’s all sort of the questions I don’t have answers to.

"We finished nearly bottom of the tournament just before Rio and went on to win a gold medal. I just don’t think you can write any team off.

"So the focus at the minute is our opening game against Germany and that is it. I can’t look beyond it."

However far GB do go in the tournament, Hinch revealed which tune she will be listening to on repeat to get ready for action.

"I do have a pre-match tune," she said.

"It’s a very weird choice of music. It’s not my style of music at all. I heard it in a car about eight years ago and it was just one of those tunes where I just got out and I was literally just like, I want to go to battle!

"It’s O’ Fortuna by Spiritual Project. It’s good, it’s a corker!"

For more info on Maddie please visit Redbull.com