Goal is to win Asian Games Gold medal, says defender Udita Duhan

The 23-year-old was an integral part of the Indian women's hockey team's fourth placed finish at the Tokyo Olympics.

Young defender Udita Duhan, who was an integral part of the Indian Women's Hockey team that finished fourth at the Tokyo Olympics 2020, expressed that staying in the present moment helped India bounce back from a series of losses in the initial phase and eventually script history in Tokyo. 

"I think staying in the present moment was the biggest reason why we could bounce back after facing three losses in the opening matches. It also helped us beat a strong team like Australia (in Quarter Final) and eventually script history in Tokyo. We stopped thinking about the results and kept things simple, which helped us play our natural game," said Udita Duhan.

While speaking about her Olympics experience, Udita Duhan added, "I had always dreamt of playing against top teams at marquee events like Olympics, and making my Olympic debut against the Netherlands was truly a dream come true. It was also my career's first match against the Dutch side, so it was a special feeling, though we lost that match. However, we went on to script history, and I feel very fortunate to be a part of it."

When asked about her takeaways, the young gun said, "As a youngster, we have learned so much from this historic campaign. We got to learn how to deal with massive pressure at the biggest of stages, and we also learned how staying in the present moment can help you do wonders."

The Hisar-born player is currently part of the 25-member senior women’s core probable group for the national coaching camp in SAI, Bengaluru. Udita Duhan said that the team is super excited to be back at the camp and can't wait to start the new season.

"We are super excited to be back at the camp, and can't wait to start our new season. Our first target will be to work on fitness because we haven't done anything since coming back from Tokyo. We will also analyse our Olympics performance in detail and work on accordingly," said Udita Duhan.

"We have a crucial year ahead of us, with the all-important Asian Games, our goal will be to win the Gold medal there, and qualify directly for the Paris Olympics," she signed off.

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