Indian hockey player Jyoti thanks seniors for guiding her through critical times

India’s women’s hockey team returned to India on August 9 after clinching a memorable bronze medal at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, ending a 16-year medal drought at the quadrennial event for the team. Indian women’s hockey.

The medal was a poignant achievement for a future Indian women’s hockey team ace, Jyoti, as it was her first appearance at the illustrious mega sporting event. Asked about the historic Commonwealth Games campaign in Birmingham, the 22-year-old said: “The Commonwealth Games was particularly important to me as it was my first appearance for the team at a multi-sport event. Winning the Bronze medal filled us with an immense sense of pride and joy and is a real reward for everyone’s efforts related to the team.Bronze medal surely made this outing doubly special for me.

The Sonipat native went on to add, “My whole Games experience has been amazing. We won our games against Ghana, Wales and Canada but lost to England in the group stage. I I also understood that losing and winning will always be an important part of any tournament. We weren’t favorites for a medal at CWG 2022, but we were able to get the bronze medal despite all the outside doubts, that’s is why this achievement is so special because we exceeded everyone’s expectations.

The rising star of the Indian women’s hockey team also spoke about the progress she has made since joining the team: “The players and the coaching staff have really helped me improve my game. Now I feel a lot more confident carrying the ball and my movement off the ball has improved dramatically. The coaching staff also gave me a lot of confidence to try something different and creative on field.”

Jyoti also spoke of the influence of head coach Janneke Schopman, “Janneke helped me improve my game. She taught me how to make the game simple and easy for myself, I no longer think about the ball and looking to move it as quickly as possible.His hands-on approach during training sessions has bought the best of my abilities.

The young star also spoke briefly about how she handled the pressure that comes with being part of India’s women’s hockey team at a mega sporting event, “The CWG 2022 was the biggest tournament in my life so far, and there is always extra pressure than you at this level, but the senior members of the team have really helped and guided me. Now, before I step onto the pitch, I take a deep breathing to calm me down and focus on getting the job done.”

Jyoti went on to explain how it has also helped her improve as a person, “I have become a very positive person over the past few years, and that can be attributed to social media, books and music. , which help me keep an optimistic mindset. It really helped me shift my perspective to focus on the “here and now”. It also helped me improve as a player, because now I can focus much better on tasks whether I’m on or off the pitch.”

“It is an honor for me to be part of this Indian women’s hockey team, and I hope we will continue to improve so that we can do even better in the next tournament,” she said. (ANI)