Indian ladies’s hockey workforce captain Savita Punia. File.
| Photo Credit: BISWARANJAN ROUT
The crying did not assist, residing in denial did not assist, what helped was selecting up the hockey stick once more to make a recent begin.
The ‘Great Wall’ of Indian ladies’s hockey and captain Savita Punia has been an emotional wreck ever for the reason that workforce failed to qualify for Paris Olympics, an enormous downfall after the excellent fourth-place end in Tokyo simply three years in the past.
“Good moments in life are not forgotten but neither are the bad ones. Losing the Olympic qualifiers is such a bad moment that we will probably not be able to forget our entire life,” the 33-year-old goalkeeper informed ‘PTI Bhasha’ in an interview.
“I haven’t been able to get over it yet,” she admitted reasonably candidly, the frustration audible via her gentle voice.
The heartbreak is now nearly two months previous. Punia was amongst those that have been seen sobbing when the ultimate hooter went off within the third-place match towards Japan, India down by a solitary purpose ending their Paris hopes.
“I didn’t want to talk about it because it still hurts a lot. I still can’t believe that we are not going to Olympics. We were confident and well-prepared but you cannot predict anything in sports.
“After the qualifiers, we have been at residence for per week and informed all of the gamers that this break is a for them to cry and really feel unhappy as a lot as they need. Keeping it inside will do no good and it’s essential to vent it out. No one talked concerning the Olympic qualifiers throughout this break,” she revealed.
The first step in the recovery process was to get back to the game. So, she competed in the FIH Pro League just 10 days after the qualifiers and then came the ongoing Nationals in Pune. She turned up for her state Haryana after a good six years, continuing the healing process.
“The benefit of sports activities is that you’ve to neglect the previous and transfer ahead in a short time. That’s why I got here to Pune to play the Senior Nationals as a result of hockey is my ardour and the extra I steer clear of the sector, the extra it can hassle me,” she said.
“When the workforce gathered in Bhubaneswar for the Pro League, within the first workforce assembly we requested how everybody was feeling. It was vital for the morale of the youth to stay excessive. It can also be credit score to the workforce that we got here collectively and performed properly.
“I was constantly thinking that we deserved to be in the Olympics but we don’t have the answer as to why we couldn’t qualify. The Dutch team was also surprised why we couldn’t do it,” she recalled wistfully.
“We all did our best and our preparation was very good. It’s a lot about luck also. We are more dejected than anyone else.” Aside from getting again to hockey, what helped Punia keep afloat was her reliance on yoga and meditation.
“I was not feeling good. Tried a lot but the body was not cooperating. Then I took the help of yoga and pranayam and focused on fitness,” she mentioned.
The Indian workforce will play Pro League matches in Belgium in May-June and the main target will likely be on health. Punia understands {that a} new core group will take form after the Nationals and he or she is ready for the churning.
“Now a new core group will be formed and some new players will also come. The focus will be on fitness and drag flicks. We have to work on our game continuously,” she mentioned.
Punia, who left for the nationwide camp inside days of getting married final yr to put together for Olympics, mentioned her husband has additionally been her rock ever for the reason that qualifiers debacle.
“My husband came after the Olympic qualifiers and gave a lot of encouragement. He said that we could not change what happened but can look ahead and play as long as you want to play. It was a very good thing for me that both my families supported me,” she mentioned.
