Never has it been more important for Lee Morton to live in the here and now.

The 28-year-old knows he’s within touching distance of making the cut for GB’s hockey squad for this summer’s Olympic Games, but he’s also aware that focusing on a potential Olympic selection may prove fatal to his chances of securing a seat on the plane to Paris.

Morton’s rise to this point has been remarkable.

Eighteen months ago, he was a bit-part player in a GB squad that’s dominated by Englishmen.

Fast-forward to now and the Glaswegian has established himself as a regular in the GB line-up and can almost touch his life-time ambition of becoming an Olympian.

It is, admits Morton, a quite astonishing transformation in fortunes and one that he attributes to, as much as anything, a stroke of luck.

“For the Pro League in November 2022, I wasn’t initially selected to go to Argentina and then, because of an injury, I got into the squad and travelled to play the matches,” he recalls. 

“Those games were a real eye-opener for me in terms of showing me the level I had to reach.

“That’s when I switched my mentality and I started really running myself into the ground. 

“That’s paid off for me - I’ve been really happy with my form over the past year and by being selected for so many games, it hopefully shows I’m doing something right. Now, it’s just about keeping that going.”

Morton’s most recent contribution to the GB cause was the integral part he played in the men’s squad securing qualification for Paris 2024.

A second-placed finish in the qualification tournament in Oman last month, which ultimately ended with defeat to the world’s fourth-ranked team, Germany, ensured GB will be part of the Olympic line-up this summer.

And with GB’s ticket to Paris now guaranteed, Morton admits the Olympic dream is starting to become very real indeed.

“It’s massive to get qualification sorted. For every hockey player, the Olympics is the pinnacle and so even though we should have qualified based on ranking, you can never take anything for granted,” Morton, who plays both midfield and defence for GB, says. 

“The feeling when we guaranteed our spot at the Olympics was incredible, it was such a huge relief and it meant we could start really looking towards Paris.

“The Olympics is the next big tournament we have.

“That’s quite a thought.”

There is much to be done before Morton finds out his Olympic fate, however.

First on the agenda are several training blocks before the final leg of this season’s Pro League, which takes place in June.

And so from now until the final Olympic selections are made, most likely at the start of the summer, each and every player within the GB squad is forced to handle the conflicting emotions of both desperately wanting to edge ahead of their squadmates in the race for selection but also wanting the team as a whole to excel.

It is, admits Morton, a strange mix but all he can do is continue as he is and that will, he hopes, be enough to retain his place in the squad.

“It’s a really weird head space to be in,” says Morton of dealing with the uncertainty of selection. 

“Within the squad, you’re friendly with everyone and some of the guys are best mates. So you want the best for them and you want them to do well because that helps the team but at the same time, them doing well could affect you.

“I’ve never been in this position before where the Olympics are approaching and I’m genuinely in contention. 

“I’ve taken confidence from the fact that I’ve played almost every game in the last year so I have to look at it that it’s my spot to lose and maybe that mentality helps. 

“It’s a weird dynamic within the squad but you have to just concentrate on the here and now and not think too far ahead. 

“In a lot of ways, it’s better not knowing exactly when selections will be made.

“It’ll still be a while which is good because it means I’m not having a heart attack every time my phone rings wondering if that’s the call telling me I’m being binned from the programme!

“But the mantra of the coaches is to live in the now.”

A significant development for the men’s side of the sport this Olympic cycle has been the evolvement of their medal ambitions.

While the women’s side have been on the podium at all of the past three Olympic Games, the men haven’t won Olympic silverware since 1988.

Recently, GB captain, David Ames, revealed their target of getting their hands on a  medal in Paris and being in such an ambitious environment as the Games creep closer is, admits Morton, a thrilling prospect.

“It’s so exciting being in a team that has these targets,” he says.

“When I was younger, my aim was always just to get to the Olympics but now, being in this squad, we’re not happy with just being in Paris, we really want to push for the podium and make it gold if we can. 

“Any Olympic medal we’d all hold dear but if we can make it gold, that’d be amazing.”