Gurjit Kaur: Weather will be the challenging factor at the Olympics

India qualified for the Olympics after defeating the USA last year.

The Indian Women's Hockey Team have been put through the grind at the on-going National Coaching Camp in Bengaluru.

Chief Coach Sjoerd Marijne is making them sweat under the sun in hope that the players will not wither away in the stark conditions that await them in Tokyo during the 2020 Olympic Games.

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“During our meetings, we have discussed that the weather will be very challenging in Tokyo.”, stated Gurjit Kaur on being asked about the on-going training camp.

“It is expected to be over 30-35 degrees when we play in Tokyo and it is also expected to be very humid which is why our training sessions are planned at different times in this camp. Usually, we would train on the pitch between 8 am and 10 am and 4 pm to 6 pm but now we train around 12 noon or 2 pm under the afternoon sun.”

“The training is intense and it's not easy to keep up speed in these conditions," explained the ace drag-flicker who has been nominated for the Indian Sports Honour for Sports Woman of the Year (team sport).

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The team is looking to peak at the right time in Tokyo and the current program is planned in such a way that the players are at their optimal best for the Olympics.

Gurjit Kaur remarked, "Our tours and matches are being planned in such a way that we peak at the right time and our performance has been steadily improving. We could feel the improvement in our performance especially in comparison to the previous year (2018) when we toured New Zealand.”

“The gap was narrowed to one goal from earlier when the goal difference was a lot. We even won against big teams. We have been working towards achieving the parameters set by the coaching staff and I believe we are on track to peak at the right time," she added.

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Over the last two years, Gurjit Kaur has proved to be an important cog in the wheel for the Women's Team and while her drag flicking abilities have been formidable, she has matured as a defender too.

"We had seniors like Sunita Lakra and we have Deep Grace who is now the senior-most defender in the team but yes I have had to step up and take up more responsibility as a defender and I will continue to focus more on my defending abilities too.", She concluded.