Hockey heroines!

A newlook Indian womenrsquos hockey team started its 2028 Los Angeles Olympics qualification journey with a scintillating unbeaten performance during its titledefending Asian Champions Trophy campaign hereIt marked a resurrection for the side that had been left deflated after failing to qualify for the Paris Olympics this year It marks a fresh beginning for the team and coach Harendra Singh Since taking over in April Harendrarsquos vision has been crystal clear mdash to qualify for the 2028 GamesAlso ReadHamilton didnrsquot want to return after Brazil flopChief coach Harendra Singh congratulates star striker Deepika PicsHockey IndiaGood start by new skipperHe always believed and emphasised that a successful ACT campaign will be the right start for the teamrsquos journey towards the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Olympics And he couldnrsquot have asked for more from his wards ldquoI truly believe this victory will inspire more young girls to take up hockey and further elevate the sport in India We are thrilled to be able to bring this win to our fans and our nationrdquo said new captain Salima Tete after the brilliant campaignHarendrarsquos primary focus since taking charge has been to improve the teamrsquos fitness and fortitude and the Indian players performance at the ACT was a testament to the fact that they have worked tremendously on these core areas and lived upto their coachrsquos expectation ldquoWhile we celebrate this win our focus remains on longterm goals We are working hard every day trusting the process and staying dedicated to delivering our best in every tournament Our ultimate aim is to bring more laurels to India and make the country proudrdquo added TeteThe Indians were impressive in most departments of the game and remained unbeaten in seven matches including the semifinal and final The resolute show by the defensive line was also one of the hallmarks of Indiarsquos performance as they conceded just two goals in seven games while scoring as many as 29 themselves Out of these 29 goals 15 were field goals 12 from penalty corners and two from strokesSensational DeepikaThe ACT produced many stars for India the prominent among them was 20yearold young striker Deepika who was the tournamentrsquos highest scorer with 11 goals to her name including four from field play six from penalty corners and one penalty stroke In fact five Indians were there among the top10 scorers mdash Deepika Sangita Kumari 4 goals Preeti Dubey 3 Navneet Kaur 3 and Lalrmsiami 3 Harendra worked extensively on the fitness of the players and that was clearly visible in their fastpaced onetouch hockey that trouble opponents including reigning Olympic silvermedallists China whom they beat 10 in the finalNext up the players will rub shoulders with the worldrsquos best in the Hockey India League starting in Ranchi on January 12This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever