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Hockey India's latest initiative to engage various districts across the country through their 'Hockey India ka Abhiyan Har Ghar Ho Hockey Ki Pehchan' program has seen several takers in Mizoram, where young players are swiftly coming up the ranks.
With over 100 International Caps, Mizoram's first Olympian hockey player and Indian women's team forward Lalremsiami said that she is happy to see more youngsters from her state taking up the sport. Providing a perspective about the development in her home state, India's charismatic forward Lalremsiami told Hockey India, "When I took up the sport about eight-nine years ago, there were fewer players taking up hockey as there was more focus on football. I came into the national program after getting selected for the National Hockey Academy in New Delhi. But now there are many more players coming up in the state from far-off districts as the state association is actively hosting camps and local events." The ace star also lauded her State's Junior Women's Team for grabbing Silver Medal at the 1st Hockey India Junior Women East Zone Championship 2023 Khunti (Ranchi), Jharkhand, ahead of the Hockey Association of Odisha, which finished third. Hockey Mizoram qualified for the Final of the 1st Hockey India Junior Women East Zone Championship 2023, where they lost to Hockey Jharkhand 2-2 (2-1 SO), after finishing second in Pool A with four victories under their belt from five games. "We are all immensely proud of our Junior Team for their outstanding performance in the inaugural Hockey India Junior Women East Zone Championship 2023. Their commitment, hard work, and team spirit were truly admirable and inspired us all, and I'd like to take this opportunity to congratulate them on a job well done!" she added. Siami, as she is fondly called by her teammates, is from Kolasib - a village about 80 kilometres from Aizawl, Mizoram. She was selected for a state government-run program in Thenzawl in 2016. Her career took off when she was picked as a trainee at the National Hockey Academy in New Delhi where she honed her skills and found a breakthrough when she was picked for the U-18 Junior Indian team that played the U-18 Junior Asia Cup in 2016. She then became the only player from Mizoram to play for India at the Asian Games in 2018, where India won a Silver medal. In 2021, she subsequently became the first from the state to play in the prestigious Olympic Games 2020 in Tokyo where the Indian Women's Team finished fourth and won the nation's heart with their gritty performance. "It makes me feel very proud and happy to see more players coming into the Junior camps from the North East. Many youngsters now feel like they can make a career out of hockey which will help them provide a financially stable life for themselves and their families," added the attacking forward who also doubles up as a halfback. Speaking about her meteoric rise in the Indian Women's side, Siami said, "It's been a great journey so far. I never thought I would play more than 100 matches for India so fast in my career. I still have a long way to go and it's been great to be part of the Indian Women's Hockey team's new era where we are doing well in top international tournaments," she said. Next up, the team is looking to further improve their performance at the Asian Games in China. In 2018, the team ended their campaign with a Silver medal and in 2014 they won a Bronze medal. "Back in 2018, we lost the Final very closely to Japan. As youngsters back then, some of us were quite happy to win a Silver medal but now in hindsight I feel like we came so close to a historic Gold medal. Our aim this time is to win Gold and qualify for the Olympics for the third consecutive time," Siami said. The Indian Women's Team is currently based at SAI, Bengaluru for the National Coaching Camp. (ANI)
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