Bengaluru: Staying in the present moment was the biggest reason why India could bounce back after facing three losses in the opening matches at the Tokyo Olympic Games, said young women’s hockey team defender Udita on Wednesday.
Udita, who was an integral part of the hockey team that finished fourth in Tokyo, said, “I think staying in the present moment was the biggest reason why we could bounce back after facing three losses in the opening matches.
“It also helped us beat a strong team like Australia (in the quarterfinals) and eventually script history in Tokyo. We stopped thinking about the results and kept things simple, which helped us play our natural game,” said Udita.
Speaking about the Olympics experience, the 23-year-old defender added, “I had always dreamt of playing against top teams at marquee events such as the Olympics. Making my Olympic debut against the Netherlands was dream come true. It was also my career’s first match against the Dutch side, so it was a special feeling, though we lost that match. However, we went on to script history, and I feel very fortunate to be a part of it.”
About her takeaways from Tokyo, the Udita said, “As a youngster, we have learned so much from this historic campaign. We got to learn how to deal with massive pressure at the biggest of stages, and we also learned how staying in the present moment can help you do wonders.”
The Hisar-born player is currently part of the 25-member senior women’s core probable group for the national coaching camp in SAI, Bengaluru. She said that the team is super excited to be back at the camp and can’t wait to start the new season.
“We are super excited to be back at the camp, and can’t wait to start our new season. Our first target will be to work on fitness because we haven’t done anything since coming back from Tokyo. We will also analyse our Olympics performance in detail and work on accordingly,” said the defender.
“We have a crucial year ahead of us, with the all-important Asian Games, our goal will be to win the Gold medal there, and qualify directly for the Paris Olympics,” she added.
(IANS)
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