Pushpa Rana, who captained women’s kabaddi team that drubbed Iran 37-34 to retain the gold medal at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, on Monday credited the team’s success to hard work, teamwork and the guidance of coaches.
Rana, along with teammates Jyoti Thakur and Bhavna Thakur, all from Himachal Pradesh, received a warm welcome upon their arrival at the Sports Authority of India’s (SAI) National Centre of Excellence in Dharamshala. All three have been associated with the centre. Another team member, Ritu Negi, also hails from Himachal and is serving with the Indian Railways.
“We have been working hard for this for a long time, and succeeding gives us immense happiness. We practised morning and evening and worked as a unit, which helped us achieve our goal,” Rana said.
“Kabaddi is doing so well at the international level, and it feels good to see that. India is performing really well. We also request the state government and the chief minister to provide us jobs. The last time we met the CM, he told us they were working on it,” she told the media.
Jyoti Thakur said, “We face challenges from time to time, but our coaches keep motivating us. We cannot express our happiness in words.”
{{/usCountry}}Jyoti Thakur said, “We face challenges from time to time, but our coaches keep motivating us. We cannot express our happiness in words.”
{{/usCountry}}Bhavna Thakur, who made her Asian Games debut, said, “For a kabaddi player, the Asian Games is a dream.Years of hard work have paid off. Our coaches and support staff helped us achieve this.”
JP Shani, assistant director of SAI’s National Centre of Excellence, Dharamshala, said, “It is a proud moment that three players from our centre were part of the gold medal-winning team. Their achievement will motivate girls across the country. For upcoming players, we will continue to provide the best possible facilities at the centre.”