By Asia Samachar| India |
Navjot Kaur became the toast of India as she netted the solitary goal that would sink Australia and send the Indian women hockey team into the semifinals of the Olympic 2020 at Tokyo. The field hockey made history as this would be the first time they made it into the semi-finals at the Olympics.
The victory was all the more sweeter knowing that they had just beaten three-time champions Australia.
Drag-flicker Gurjit Kaur rose to the occasion when she converted India’s lone penalty corner in the 22nd minute to surprise the Australians.
On Wednesday (4 Aug 2021), they face Argentina in the semifinal .
At 25, Navjot is already one of the most experienced players in the squad and is growing into her role as a finisher. Navjot’s role is a vital one – to bury the chances her teammates create. In a sense, she is the tip of the spear. It is her role to finish off the opposition and with each game, she seems to be getting even better at that.
“The finisher’s job is very critical for any side,” she says. “The entire team puts in the effort of creating openings and then the finisher has to find the back of the net. There’s a lot of pressure that comes with the job, but I enjoy it and make sure that I put myself into good positions in every match.”
Her father, a mechanic, encouraged young Navjot to make a mark in hockey, which she took to in the sixth grade. “She was around 11-year-old when she started practicing. I had never imagined that she will be playing in such an intense Olympics match,” he said in one interview. Navjot is eldest of the three siblings.
Navjot and fellow teammates – skipper Rani Rampal and Navneet – all hail from Shahabad , a town in Kurukshetra.
RELATED STORY:
‘Papa couldn’t afford to buy me a stick’: Indian women’s hockey team captain Rani Rampal shares inspiring journey (Asia Samachar, 2 Aug 2021)
ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond.Facebook | WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 | Email: editor@asiasamachar.com | Twitter | Instagram | Obituary announcements, click here |
