Indian women’s hockey team captain Rani Rampal feels her memorable performance at the Tokyo Olympics has taught players how to perform under extreme pressure.
Speaking on the podcast ‘Hockey Te Charcha’, the 27-year-old reflected on the team’s record fourth-place finish at the Tokyo Olympics as well as the past year.
“2011 turned out to be a good year for us. We could have won a medal at the Tokyo Olympic Games. We will always feel the pain of not being able to do this because we were so close. It wasn’t hard to accept it at first,” she said.
“But we finished 12th in 2016 when we went to the Rio Olympics and this time we finished fourth in the Tokyo Olympics. So, this has been a big growth for women’s hockey.”
The Indian women’s team had missed out on a historic bronze medal in Tokyo, but registered its best ever performance at the Olympics.
“When we returned, the Indian fans appreciated our efforts. We thought we did something good that fans are giving us so much love and respect. This gives us confidence to do better in future.”
He further explained how the team gained confidence from a 1-0 win over Australia in the quarter-finals and felt they could secure a podium finish by beating world No. 2 Argentina in the semi-finals.
“I think 100 per cent we could have won the semi-final match against Argentina. We took the lead early in the match and put pressure on them. We followed everything the coaches told us, but accepting the PC cost us dearly. ,” said the queen.
“But I think it was a huge learning experience for all the players in the team who will understand how to stay calm in the knockout matches of big tournaments. We will definitely be better next time.”
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