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The Indian women's hockey team received a warm welcome at Ranchi Airport from supporters and Jharkand Hockey after a successful Commonwealth Games 2022.
The Indian women's hockey team claimed the bronze medal in the Commonwealth Games 2022 after a superb win over New Zealand via a shootout in Birmingham. In the regulation time, Salima Tete (29') scored the goal for India, only for Olivia Merry (60') to score a late goal for New Zealand and push the match to a shootout. Savita made three sensational saves in the shootout, while Sonika and Navneet Kaur struck past Kiwi goalkeeper Grace O'Hanlon as India pulled off a thrilling 2-1 shootout win after a 1-1 scoreline in regulation time. Nikki Pradhan, one of the members of the squad said to ANI, "We feel really good. We were out for two months. We played in Pro League and World Cup. We played a good defensive game in the World Cup but could not win. Then we came to CWG and decided that we will not repeat our mistakes. We had a good start but lost to Australia in the semis despite our attempt to go for a win. We were demoralised but when the bronze medal match came, we decided to take home bronze at any cost. We supported and motivated each other for that." Nikki said that the team is on a break right now with some tournaments scheduled for December. Salima Tete, the star hockey player said to ANI, "We wanted to win the match (the bronze medal match against New Zealand) and had thought of taking home bronze medal. We want to do well in Asian Games." Bhola Singh, the President of Jharkhand Hockey said that the entire country is happy that the women's team has returned home with a bronze medal. "2024 Olympics is our focus and we will definitely win a medal there," he added. From July 28 to August 8, nearly 200 Indian athletes competed for medals across 16 different sports at the Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham. India wrapped up its Commonwealth Games 2022 campaign at fourth position with 61 medals (22 gold, 16 silver and 23 bronze). Wrestling topped the medal chart with 12 medals including six gold while weightlifting accounted for 10 medals. India has delivered its fifth-best performance of all time in their Commonwealth Games history, with their best being a total of 101 medals when the games were held at home in 2010. The Commonwealth Games 2022 came to an end with a stunning closing ceremony at the Alexander Stadium in Birmingham on Monday. The Commonwealth Games flag was presented to the Governor of Victoria. The state of Victoria, Australia will be the next host of the Commonwealth Games in 2026. (ANI)
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