The experienced Savita Punia was the rock that held the Indian women’s hockey team together in its epic run to the Tokyo Olympics semifinals. The shotstopper is now looking for an even brighter 2022 as she and her teammates look to build on their fourth-place finish. “We have several major tournaments in 2022 and I look forward to a good year for the Indian women’s team. Surely, there will be a lot of expectations from us after our Olympics performance,” Savita says.
“We begin the season with the Asia Cup in January, and it is important for us to win it to play the FIH Women’s World Cup the same year. Another big tournament for us in 2022 is the Asian Games. Losing the gold (medal match) in 2018 was very disappointing. So, in 2022 we want to aim for the gold. Personally, I want to continue showcasing good form and keep up my fitness. We have some really good young goalkeepers coming into the group too and I want to help them in whatever way I can.”
In such a hectic year, Savita acknowledged maintaining one’s fitness would be crucial. “We have good support staff who work with us to maintain our fitness level. But personally, I will be also paying a lot of attention to recovery after every session,” she said.
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