India faced Great Britain in the Bronze medal match at Tokyo Olympics 2020. Though Great Britain women’s hockey team took the medal home, Indian hockey stars gave a tough fight to the World Champions. The match was exciting till the end and every sports fan kept sticking to their screens.
Missing an opportunity to win an Olympic medal for the country, the Indian women’s hockey team was defeated 4-3. Nonetheless, the squad made history as they qualified for the semi-finals at an Olympic tournament for the first time and the country is proud of its women's hockey team.
In the semi-finals, the team lost to Argentina and faced world champion Great Britain in a bronze medal match at Oi Hockey Stadium.
The star players of today’s match are Gurjit Kaur, Vandhana Katariya and Goalkeeper Savita Poonia.
Gurjit Kaur scored India’s initial goals. Gurjit’s two consecutive gaols made India jump back in the game.
She plays a dual role in the women’s hockey team- as a defender as well as a designated drag-flicker. Gurjit, a 25-year-old, hails from a village in Amritsar, Punjab; she belongs to a farming family.
Her father Satnam Singh was very serious about the daughter's education. Gurjit and her sister Pradeep took their early education from a private school in the village and were later enrolled in a boarding school located in Tarn Taran. Gurjit's dream of hockey started from there. However, making Gurjit a hockey player was not easy for his family. Her father sold his motorcycle to buy a hockey kit for his daughter.
Vandhana Katariya scored in the 29th minute to give Team India the lead.
Vandhana plays as a forward. She hails from Roshanabad, Haridwar.
Shockingly, following India's loss to Argentina in the women's hockey semi-final match at the Tokyo Olympics on August 4, casteist remarks were directed at her family. The unfortunate incident has humiliated India on the world level.
Goalkeeper Savita Poonia hails from the Sirsa district of Haryana. She pulled off innumerable saves to keep India in the game.
Her grandfather Ranjit Singh wanted her to become a hockey player and it was his heartfelt desire that his granddaughter should serve the country by participating in sports.
She has played more than 200 international matches including Asian Games (2014 and 2018) as well as the Asia Cup medal (2017).
The entire Indian women's hockey squad- Captain Rani Rampal, Navjot Kaur, Gurjit Kaur, Deep Grace Ekka, Monika Malik, Reena Khokhar, Sharmila Devi, Nikki Pradhan, Savita Punia, Nisha Warsi, Vandana Katariya, Udita, Namita Toppo, Lalremsiami Hmar, Navneet Kaur, Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam, Tete Salima, Neha Goyal- has made India proud and are an inspiration to the coming generations.
Also Read: Heartbreak for India: Great Britain takes Bronze home as team India loses 4-3 at Tokyo Olympics
The first time the women's hockey team competed in the Olympics was at the 1980 Moscow Games. Their second time in the Olympics was in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
On the other hand, the men’s hockey team has won bronze in Olympics after 41 years of medal drought. Indian men’s hockey squad knocked down Germany 5-4 in the third-fourth place play-off match.
It would not be wrong to say that India is emerging to reclaim its champion status in hockey, both men and women.