Sign in

World Cup will be a learning experience: Terry Walsh

The hockey World Cup begins at The Hague from May 31. India's national hockey coach, Terry Walsh, and high performance director, Roelant Oltmans, were seen pooling in their coaching experience to prepare the players for the task.

Updated on: Mar 14, 2014, 24:23:14 IST
Hindustan Times | By , New Delhi
Share
Share via
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • linkedin
  • whatsapp
Copy link
  • copy link

The hockey World Cup, beginning at The Hague from May 31, will be all about sustained effort. Aware of the tough task, India's national hockey coach, Terry Walsh, and high performance director, Roelant Oltmans, were seen pooling in their coaching experience to prepare the players for the task.

HT Image
HT Image

Thursday's evening training session at the National Stadium focused on polishing goal-scoring skills, with the 27 probables being divided into four groups.

Walsh has been advocating that his hopes from the World Cup aren't high, and he stuck to it. "The event will be a big opportunity to rub shoulders with top teams, but our focus will be Asian Games in September," he said.

After being on the road for some time, the players, who assembled on Sunday after a short break for the month-long camp, looked rusty. A win in the Asian Games will give India a berth in the Rio Olympics. "My aim is a front-door entry, not a back-door one," said Walsh.

India had failed to qualify for the World Cup through the Hockey World League semifinals and continental championships, and had to wait for the results of the Asia-Oceania championships to qualify.

Walsh felt he had enough time to prepare for the Incheon Games. "We are improving and should be able to deliver the goods," he said.

On the shortcomings, he said, "We are focusing on all the areas."

Stay updated with the latest sports news, including latest headlines and updates from the Olympics 2024, where Indian athletes will compete for glory in Paris. Catch all the action from tennis Grand Slam tournaments, follow your favourite football teams and players with the latest match results, and get the latest on international hockey tournaments and series.