Bengaluru, June 28 Indian women's hockey team forward Udita said on Monday that training with experienced players such as captain Rani Rampal and Vandana Katariya have taught her the finer nuances of the game and that the team was geared up for the Tokyo Olympics.
The 23-year-old, who is a member of the Tokyo-bound squad said, "Training with Rani (Rampal) and Vandana has taught me a lot of things. They have played nearly 500 games for India between them and share a very good rapport. They are very experienced players and have always supported me during my time with the team. I am very lucky to have seniors like them around."
Udita, who has played 32 matches for the country, said it was a "dream-come-true moment" for her when she was named in the 16-member Olympic squad.
The Haryana player, who was also part of the silver medal-winning team at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, spoke about how she switched to hockey from handball.
"It's amazing where life takes you. I only started playing hockey six years ago. Before that, I was busy playing handball. But life had other plans for me. My handball coach was absent for three consecutive days and led me to choose hockey as an alternative sport. And the choice to play hockey changed my life," said Udita.
Udita, who made her senior team debut in 2017, added that she feels fortunate to have had the chance to play for the Indian team in some of the biggest sporting events.
"I was selected for the junior national camp in 2015 after some impressive performances in domestic tournaments. Then, I made my debut for the junior team in 2016. I later went on to lead the junior India squad that won bronze at the U-18 Asia Cup in 2016. I have been fortunate to have got the opportunity to play for India in some of the biggest events like the Asian Games and the World Cup in London where we had some significant performances."
On the Indian team's preparations for the Olympics, Udita said, "The Indian team only has one focus right now, which is Tokyo. There is no doubt that the next few weeks are going to be the most crucial days of our lives. Everything we do now, we will do with the aim to produce the best results at the Tokyo Olympics."
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