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Jharkhand players from the Indian women's hockey team, which won the gold medal at the 2026 Asian Games, met Chief Minister Hemant Soren at the Chief Minister's Residential Office. The players included Indian women's hockey team captain Salima Tete, Nikki Pradhan, Beauty Dungdung, and Deepika Soreng.
According to a release from the CMO, Soren asked about the preparations behind their magnificent performance and listened to their experiences. He boosted their morale regarding this splendid achievement by offering them sweets and honoured them by presenting traditional stoles (Angavastra). He extended his heartfelt congratulations and best wishes for this historic achievement. He stated that the contribution of Jharkhand's players in achieving this golden successwinning the gold medal at the Asian Gamesis a matter of pride and honour for both the state and the country. He said that through their talent, hard work, discipline, and indomitable spirit, the players have enhanced the nation's glory. This magnificent achievement by the players has added another glorious chapter to the state's sports history. These achievements will inspire the youth, athletes, and especially the daughters of the statealong with the people of Jharkhandto move forward in the field of sports. The Chief Minister encouraged the players to continue bringing glory to the nation with the same enthusiasm, dedication, hard work, and commitment. He stated that the state government is actively working to nurture sporting talent in Jharkhand. MLA Kalpana Soren also met the players, offering her congratulations and best wishes while boosting their morale. Also present on the occasion alongside the players were Vijay Shankar Singh (DG, Hockey Jharkhand), Rajnish Kumar (International Wrestling Coach and CEO, Jharkhand), and Manoj Kumar Prasad (General Secretary). The gold medal also brings a significant reward for the Indian team, as the victory secures direct qualification for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. The achievement comes after a difficult Olympic cycle for the Indian women's hockey team, which narrowly missed out on qualification for the Paris 2024 Olympics following its impressive fourth-place finish at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. India's campaign was also highlighted by a prolific goalscoring effort. Deepika Sehrawat finished as the tournament's top goalscorer with 21 goals, followed by teammate Navneet Kaur with 10 goals, while China's Jiaqi Zhong scored nine. After four decades of waiting, Indian women's hockey has once again reached the top of Asia. (ANI)
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