We are strong contender for gold medal in World Cup, says Sushila Chanu

The former captain recalled her and the team’s memorable experience in the 2013 Women’s Hockey Junior World Cup.

Indian eves’ veteran halfback Sushila Chanu is one of the Core Group of players in the Indian Women’s Hockey Team who rose to prominence within the National setup following India’s Bronze Medal finish in the 2013 Women’s Hockey Junior World Cup. As a matter of fact, Sushila Chanu was the Captain who led the team to the memorable achievement nearly a decade ago. 

In her appearance on Hockey India podcast Hockey Te Charcha, Sushila spoke about the current Indian Junior Women’s Hockey Team’s prospects at the upcoming FIH Hockey Women’s Junior World Cup in Potchefstroom, South Africa. 

“This is a really tight-knit group with excellent understanding between each other on the field, and off the field as well. They have trained together as a group for a really long time, and even played practice matches against the Senior Women’s Team in the National Camp at SAI Bengaluru and in Bhubaneswar in which they have contested well. The group also consists of players who have represented the Senior Team on the big stage like the Olympics. These reasons lead me to believe that the Indian Junior Women’s Hockey Team is a strong contender for the Gold Medal in the upcoming World Cup,” said Sushila Chanu. 

Recalling fond memories of the time she led the Indian Junior Women’s Hockey Team as Captain during the 2013 Women’s Hockey Junior World Cup in Monchengladbach, Germany, Sushila said, “We had the time of our lives during that Junior World Cup campaign. We were so young and carefree at the time, but each one of us was completely focussed on using that competition as a platform to improve on our skills individually, and as a team. Our communication within the team was so strong at the time. It was one of the key reasons behind our success in the Junior World Cup.”

The Indian Junior Women’s Hockey Team had secured the Bronze Medal after overcoming England on penalty shootouts in the Bronze Medal playoff match. Speaking about the pivotal game that shaped her fledgling career at the time, Sushila said, “Winning that medal was the biggest achievement of my life. I will never forget that game and that moment when we secured victory. The penalty shootouts were going on, and everyone in the team was huddled together in the centre of the pitch and we were all praying together. After winning the match that day, we were all overjoyed. That campaign was truly unforgettable.”

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