Members of India women's hockey team felicitated by former players for Tokyo 2020 heroics

Mumbai: Members of India’s women’s hockey team who are employed with the Railways were felicitated at an event hosted by former players Happy Mann and others. Mann along with other former hockey players including Olympian (1980 Moscow) Selma D’Silva and Arjuna awardees Tingoleima and Helen Mary, among others, felicitated Sushila Chanu (former captain, 2016 Olympics), Vandana Katariya and Rajani Etimarpu (all working with Central Railway). The Indian women’s team had finished fourth in the Tokyo Olympics. Monika Malik (Central Railway), Navneet Kaur and Deep Grace Ekka (both working with Western Railway) were also felicitated at the function held recently, a media statement said in Mumbai. “We express our gratitude to Railways who have always been a motivating force for the hockey fraternity and all other sports. We will continue to support hockey, mentor juniors and keep the flag of the country and Railways soaring high with pride,” Mann said on this occasion. Katariya who scored India’s first hat trick at the Olympics, complimented the Railways for backing them up. “The Railways have taken care of us by providing us with a job and allowing us to play for India. Many of the girls in the Indian team are employed with the Railways which speaks volumes of their contribution to Indian women’s hockey. They have organised zonal tournaments which have brought in a lot of talent,” said Katariya. The members of the Central and Western Railways will join their team in Bengaluru for a preparatory camp for the upcoming events. Former skipper Chanu who was facilitated at the event said, “The next target will be winning gold medal in the Asian Games as that will enable us to qualify for the Paris Olympics. I feel it’s very important for us to have leagues on the lines of the Hockey India League as that will encourage the next generation of players.