Gained confidence from Tokyo Olympics performance, says Salima Tete
(Courtesy : Hockey India)
The Indian women's hockey midfielder was one of the standout performers at the quadrennial event.
The Indian Women's Hockey Team fought tooth and nail against some of the top teams in the world at the Tokyo Olympics in July-August 2021. They made history when they defeated the three-time Olympic Gold Medallists Australia 1-0 in the Quarter-Final and played in their first-ever Olympic Semi-Final against Argentina. The Indian Women's Hockey Team Midfielder Salima Tete, who played an integral role in India's brilliant performance at the Olympics, expressed that even though the Indian Women's Team couldn't finish on the podium, they have shown signs of a bright future.
"Our performance in Tokyo is slowly starting to sink in now. We were really dejected when we lost to Great Britain in the Bronze Medal match, but now we are seeing the positives from the tournament. We may not have won a Medal, but we have certainly gained a lot of confidence from the way we played in Tokyo and it's definitely going to help us to grow as a team and produce much better results in the future," said Salima Tete.
Tete added that she feels blessed to have received an opportunity to play in an Olympic Games at a very young age.
"The Olympic Games is the biggest tournament for any sportsperson and I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity of performing for my country at the biggest of stages. I have learned a lot by playing in high-pressure situations and I am certainly going to use my learnings in the upcoming competitions. One learns a lot when one is against the best and we are very happy with the way we gave a tough fight to each of our opponents in the knock-out stage of the Tokyo Games," said Salima Tete.
When asked about the most important things that helped India perform exceedingly well at the Olympics, Salima Tete said, "We always found a way to push the ball forward and attack our opponents in the Olympics. We created many goal-scoring opportunities and ensured that we utilized our Penalty Corners well. And also we gave everything we had on the pitch and never gave up, no matter what the situation was. The never-give-in attitude helped us to stay in the moment and keep fighting against our opponents until the final whistle was blown."
For more updates, follow Khel Now on Twitter, Instagram and join our community on Telegram.
Latest News
- Hockey India announces dates, teams for inaugural National Women's Hockey League 2024-25
- Young defender Ropni Kumari relishes training camp with senior Indian women's hockey team
- Former women's team player Jaspreet Kaur lauds Hockey India for new initiatives & grassroots programs
- 'Overwhelmed with Joy': Young Mizo midfielder Marina Lalramnghaki makes Indian women's hockey team core group
- Hockey India announces men's core probable group for national camp for Olympics preparation
Editor Picks
- List of Indian athletes who have already secured qualification for Paris Olympics 2024
- India vs Australia, Hockey Test Series 2024: Updated schedule, squad, fixtures, results, live-streaming details
- Harendra Singh to be appointed new Indian women's hockey team coach: Report
- Women's FIH Pro League 2023-24: Top 10 players with most goals
- Top five achievements of Janneke Schopman as coach of Indian women's hockey team