Charity mission

By FEVERPITCH REPORTER

Crista Cullen, a Kenyan born Olympic hockey player, is a key runner for her brother Gray’s car 22 in this year’s Rhino Charge.

Passionate about conservation, 26-year-old Crista is an activist for raising funds for Rhino Ark.

She Tweets “Help us in supporting the goals of this fantastic charity, without which the rich biodiversity of the Aberdare mountain range, and its water catchment that so much of Kenya depends upon would be lost. Please dig deep and help us to preserve it.”

Crista started her hockey training at Kenya’s Banda School when she was nine years old. She has since moved through the ranks to become one of the best hockey defenders in the industry.

She is now one of the members of the Leicester Team that was chosen on Friday to head to the London Olympics by the Great Britain’s women hockey team.

Her current achievements include having over 150 Great Britain and England combined cups, Commonwealth, World Cup and European cup bronze medals.

She was awarded Great Britain’s Hockey Player of the Year (2006) and named three times in the International Hockey Federation’s All Star Team (2006, 2007, 2010).

She was also Great Britain’s top goal scorer in the Beijing Olympics and earned the honour of being Hockey Writers’ Club Player of the Year in 2005 and 2006.

Rhino Charge, Kenya’s unique off-road motor sport event, raises masses of money to help restore Kenya’s forest cover, preserve precious water towers and reduce human-wildlife conflict in Mt Kenya, Mau Eburu and the Aberdare.

Over 60 cars have confirmed participation in this year’s competition, which will be held on June 2 at a place that is yet to be disclosed to the participants.