Indian women’s hockey captain Rani Rampal’s story is a perfect example of one that’s built on grit and determination and the dream to make the country proud. At the age of 15, Rampal was the youngest player in the national team which participated in the 2010 World Cup. And a decade later the Indian hockey skipper will be conferred with the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award, the highest sporting honour on August 29.
“This is a big achievement to Indian women hockey because previously women’s hockey wasn’t given much importance but now people are supporting the sport. Being an athlete, I feel extremely happy and this honour will add to its recognition. It is an amazing feeling when your hard work is rewarded,” says the Haryana born player.
The 25-year old dreams to make the country proud and dedicates her award to the frontline workers fighting against the Covid-19 pandemic. She says, “After winning Khel Ratna, I am extremely motivated to bring more medals for my country. I have seen senior players play and it has always inspired me to do something for the nation. In these tough times, I dedicate the Khel Ratna award to our corona warriors, who are working selflessly to keep all of us safe. It is commendable that how dedicated they are and whatever you do for them is less,” says Rampal.
It’s not been easy for Rampal to pursue a sporting career in hockey, coming from a society where women are restricted to doing only certain tasks. “Being a woman athlete, I had my own set of struggles in my journey to establish my career as a hockey player. I belong to Haryana, and as compared to the present times, when I was growing up, girls faced lots of restrictions. Another struggle used to be the financial status of the family and if we will be able to afford the training for sports or not. But these things never affected me because I always had in mind that I have to work hard and achieve what I want, no matter what was my background,” says the Asian Games (2018) silver medallist.
{{/usCountry}}It’s not been easy for Rampal to pursue a sporting career in hockey, coming from a society where women are restricted to doing only certain tasks. “Being a woman athlete, I had my own set of struggles in my journey to establish my career as a hockey player. I belong to Haryana, and as compared to the present times, when I was growing up, girls faced lots of restrictions. Another struggle used to be the financial status of the family and if we will be able to afford the training for sports or not. But these things never affected me because I always had in mind that I have to work hard and achieve what I want, no matter what was my background,” says the Asian Games (2018) silver medallist.
{{/usCountry}}Rani Rampal is the first ever women hockey player to be conferred with this award.Rampal says, “I never thought that women’s hockey could also receive this honour and I believe that such awards will motivate more girls to choose sports as a career. I want to inspire as many girls as I can and make them believe that anyone can do it. There have been many changes to promote the sport among women. Academies are being established, so that more women could participate in hockey.”
Talking about the popularity of hockey, she says, “ People are definitely moving towards hockey also but we still need more support. Hockey is a bit tough to understand but if you watch and know about the players and their game, it will be an interesting one then. Support from people means a lot to us, it will help us keep going and achieve bigger feats for the country.”