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16 girls, 7 states, 11 goals, 4th Place — Indian hockey team's spectacular journey in Olympics

A brief overview of the journey of the Indian Women's hockey team at the Tokyo Olympics

16 girls, 7 states, 11 goals, 4th Place — Indian hockey teams spectacular journey in Olympics
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By

Subhashish Majumdar

Updated: 6 Aug 2021 12:37 PM GMT

The Indian women's team went down fighting 3-4 against defending champions Great Britain in the bronze-medal match of the Women's Field Hockey competition at the Tokyo Olympics.

The Women in Blue may well have been unsuccessful in their medal-quest in Tokyo but will leave the shores of the Japanese capital with the knowledge that they have captured the imagination of the Indian sporting fraternity like never before.

Coach Sjoerd Marijne had sought to play down expectations ahead of the competition given the fact that the girls were not part of the Hockey Pro League with the pandemic eating into available game time on the eve of the Olympics.

Even so, the girls came within a mere whisker of winning a coveted bronze medal in what was only their third appearance at the Olympic Games.

The struggle of the Indian girls - many of whom have battled poverty and gender prejudice during their childhood and teenage years - is finally reaping rich rewards following a stupendous show at the Olympic Games.

For, perhaps, the first time ever, women's hockey in India is hitting the headlines as the mainstream media attempts to showcase the coming of age of a team which were always on the fringes despite the remarkable strides that they have made in recent times.

Mizo striker Lalremsiami continued to play the 2019 FIH Series Finals tournament despite losing her father on the eve of the vital semi-final clash. The Indians needed a top-two finish to make it to the Olympic qualifiers and the brave forward took the field despite the trauma of the bereavement.

Deep Grace Ekka, who is Sundargarh's gift to Indian hockey, held the Indian defence together amidst the unrelenting attacks and also had the energy to advance when needed to feed the strikers with some probing crosses.

Vandana Katariya, Lalremsiami's senior counterpart up front won her battle against poverty, as did Neha Goyal as they got past innumerable hurdles en route to a place in the Indian Women's Hockey Team where they now excel on the world stage.

Gurjit Kaur did herself and the nation proud by converting vital PCs at crucial stages in the big matches with a level of power and precision that now puts her on par with the best short-corner specialists in the world.

Neither Maddie Hinch of Great Britain nor Kathryn Lynch of Australia could stop the PCs which emanated from the stick of the ace drag-flicker who was born in a remote village that borders Pakistan.

When the Indians failed with the direct flicks, they used the variation, with Uttarakhand girl, Vandana Katariya, crouching in wait near the post and diving in with an outstretched stick to direct the delectable deflections home.

Skipper Rani Rampal herself has risen from a modest background to now become one of the most recognizable faces in world hockey.

The Women in Blue come from states as diverse as Haryana, Jharkhand, Mizoram, Manipur, Odisha, Punjab, and Uttarakhand - and, yet gel together as a world-class unit who have now heralded the beginning of a new era for women's hockey in India.

The team, which began by losing 1-5 to world champions the Netherlands in their opener, have scored 11 goals, made it past the group stages, qualified for the semi-finals, and also came within striking distance on an unlikely bronze medal.

The fairy tale is yet incomplete and more history beckons for Sjoerd Marijne's chargers as they return home and an unbelievable Olympic journey in Tokyo.

Tokyo OlympicsHockey
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