Top five achievements of Lalremsiami you must know about
(Courtesy : Hockey India)
The Mizoram-born forward will be captaining India at the upcoming Women's Junior Hockey World Cup.
Mizoram girl Lalremsiami Hmar will be in-charge of the Indian contingent at the upcoming FIH Junior Women's World Cup starting from December 5 . The tournament will be hosted in South Africa and will see 16 teams competing for the prize. "Siami," as she is affectionately called by her teammates, will look to score goals and lead from the front.
India will be playing in Group C alongside defending champions Argentina, so it is bound to get competitive. However, Lalremsiami is not known to succumb under pressure. Infact, she shines under it.
Here are five of the most decorated moments in her young career:
5. Youngest player to represent India at 2018 World Cup
Lalremsiami played at the 2018 Hockey World Cup as the youngest in the squad at just 18-years-old. Despite her age, her performance showed great maturity. She was exceptional in the league matches and also scored a beautifully crafted goal in a crossover match against Italy.
She hit the shot with a reverse stick after seeing the Italian goalkeeper advance off her line, giving her side an early lead at 1-0. India eventually won that game 3-0 and moved on to the quarter-finals. Despite losing out to Ireland in a close game, India's performance was praiseworthy.
4. Won silver at Asian Championship Trophy
India won second place at the 2018 Asian Champions Trophy in Donghae, South Korea. The tournament which saw the five best teams in Asia competing for the top spot. Apart from India the other participants were hosts South Korea, China, Malaysia and Japan.
Lalremsiami played in a total of 31 minutes on the field across five matches, scoring two goals. This included an equalizer in a crucial final round-robin match. Consequently, she won the U-21 rising star award at the tournament.
3. Won silver at Asian Games 2018
Lalremsiami was at her best at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta. She carried her form from the recently concluded World Cup in London and was at her destructive best. The forward scored four goals in the tournament, the first of which came against Indonesia in a 8-0 victory. She followed up this performance with a hat-trick against Kazakhstan in a 21-0 thumping.
This was India's second-biggest win margin at the games. Unfortunately, a slip-up in the final against Japan cost the team a gold medal. Irrespective of the result, it was a memorable moment. Lalremsiami became the first athlete from Mizoram to win an Asian Games medal.
2. Won Gold at Asia Cup 2017
Lalresmsiami Hmar's dazzling performance at the Asia Cup in Japan got India their second trophy in the history of the competition. The tournament saw India beating seven other top teams. Moreover, such was India's dominance that they did not lose a single game.
With teams like China, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia among others falling victim to India's attacking prowess. Lalremsiami was the one controlling it from the front. Scoring two goals in the tournament and creating others for Rani Rampal and Gurjit Kaur to score. Her goal against Japan in the semi-final was crucial. It killed off the game completely and secured a 4-2 win for India.
1. Finished fourth at Tokyo Olympics 2020
Lalremsiami has certainly been India's "lucky charm" on the big stage. This is because whenever she has been present, India have delivered and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics were no exception.
Despite losing out in the first three games, India managed to qualify for the quarter-finals. This comeback was possible because of the resilience of Vandana Katariya, Neha Goyal , Lalremsiami and others. Not only did they manage to shake off the early rust, they also managed to beat Australia 1-0 in the quarter-finals to book a berth in the semi-final for the first time.
Although their winning run was cut short in the semi-final, the women's team showed great character. Lalremsiami became the first Mizoram player to participate at the Olympics. Moreover, the fourth placed finish was their best performance at the Olympics. This helped bring up India's ranking to eighth, their best in the FIH World standings.
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