New Delhi: Indian women’s hockey team captain Salima Tete said that her team members were confident of clinching the gold medal at the despite facing a strong Chinese side.
to secure the gold medal at the Continental Event after 44 years, also securing a spot in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
“We deserve this victory. This time we had full confidence in our team and players that we would definitely win gold, although China was a very good team. Defending that one goal and winning gold for our country is a proud moment for us,” Tete told PTI Videos.
Four players from the gold-winning women’s team are from Jharkhand. Tete, Beauty Dungdung and Deepika Soreng belong to Simdega district, while Nikki Pradhan is from Khunti. They received a grand welcome at the Ranchi airport on arrival in the state.
‘Not easy for us to defend the one goal against a team like China’: Deepika Soreng
Soreng said the team was preparing for the Asian Games and achieved this historic victory. She further added that it was not easy for them to defend the one-goal lead against a strong team like China.
“We worked very hard to win gold at the Asian Games. We were preparing to achieve this remarkable win for a long time. We feel very proud. It was not easy for us to defend the one goal against a team like China, but we did it,” she said.
“We knew the team we played against was very good and, as we defended against the Australian team at the Tokyo Olympics, this time we defended the lead of one goal against China. Now we have qualified for the upcoming Olympics. We will prepare for that and remove our shortcomings,” Nikki Pradhan said.
Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren met with all four players at his residence and wrote in a social media post that they have done wonders.