Caught in a downward spiral of reverses because the historic fourth-place end within the Tokyo Olympics, Indian girls’s hockey crew captain Salima Tete on Wednesday attributed it to the dearth of health and psychological toughness. After creating historical past in Tokyo in 2021, the crew didn’t qualify for the Paris Olympics this 12 months and in addition carried out poorly within the final FIH Professional League. “Sure, in fact we have been disillusioned however we will not take into consideration the previous and want to maneuver ahead. We should always transfer on as a result of if we do not transfer on, we are able to by no means win a match,” Salima informed PTI in an interview forward of the ladies’s Asian Champions Trophy in Rajgir, Bihar from November 11 to twenty.
“It was very tough for everybody, not only for me however for everybody within the crew. However we now have labored on it.” The journey, because the failure to qualify for the Paris Video games, wasn’t simple below new chief coach Harendra Singh. However Salima mentioned these setbacks have taught them an enormous lesson.
“We needed to begin from the start. We needed to begin from the scratch. And health was an space that Harendra sir had identified and which wants lots of work,” she mentioned.
“It was our mistake that we did not work on health. However since sir got here, we now have labored loads on our health. In right this moment’s stage, if you do not have health, you possibly can’t play hockey as a result of it’s a quick sport and also you want health.” Salima mentioned your entire squad now realises the significance of health.
“We do work on our energy. I additionally seen that we weren’t in a position to raise a lot weight. The ladies at the moment are squatting greater than 100kgs. This reveals that we’re engaged on our health. This reveals that we’re getting higher.” Harendra understands the importance of psychological facet of the sport and that was exactly the rationale the Indian girls’s hockey crew underwent an intensive psychological strengthening and crew constructing camp on the prestigious Indian Naval Academy in Kerala from July 14 to 21 this 12 months.
“We did not have psychological expertise. So, it (the camp) was superb. We did not know the way it was going to be. It was very arduous however we dealt with it. We weren’t in a position to sit and calm down, we have been very busy,” Salima mentioned.
“We have now realized that we cannot get something if we do not work arduous. We can’t be capable of sustain.” Requested concerning the different areas that want work, Salima identified: “Our focus is on scoring from contained in the circle and in addition from penalty corners. We have now labored on this. We have now labored on small, small issues.” Salima mentioned it’s a new starting for the Indian girls’s crew and its sole focus now could be on ending on the rostrum in 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
“A brand new season has began for Indian girls’s hockey. The purpose is to qualify for the Los Angeles Olympics and end on the rostrum there. That is the view.
“It’s a very large factor for us and we’re working for it from now. We’re ranging from zero. Sir tells us that we now have to go to the Asian Video games, World Cup and the 2028 Olympics,” she mentioned.
India will enter the upcoming Asian Champions Trophy because the defending champions and the skipper mentioned they are going to accept nothing lower than gold.
“We wish to win this championship (ACT). We do not take into consideration outcomes, we simply wish to play our recreation.
“To win this event we’d like crew effort. Each participant has to point out her talent, like my energy is velocity, so I’ve to make use of my velocity to assist the crew,” she mentioned.
“Everybody has totally different strengths and we’ll play to our strengths.” Moreover India, Paris Olympics silver medallist China, 2018 Asian Video games champion Japan, Malaysia, two-time Olympic silver winner Korea and Thailand are the opposite collaborating groups within the event.
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