Despite making a great recovery from a hamstring injury following the Tokyo Olympics, Hockey India’s tentative lineup indicates that Rani would not be travelling to Hangzhou with the team.
Legendary Indian women’s hockey player Rani Rampal declared that she has no plans to retire and that the Asian Games team includes a lot of physically unfit players.
Despite making a great recovery from a hamstring injury following the Tokyo Olympics, where the Indian women produced their best-ever performance by coming fourth under her guidance, Rani is not included in the Hangzhou-bound team, according to Hockey India’s tentative lineup.
Upon her return, Rani took the top spot in goals scored at the recent National Games in Gujarat, tallying 18 goals during Haryana’s successful campaign.
Rani claimed she doesn’t regret the rejection and that sports have given her everything in life.
“I’ve reached the point in my life where I don’t need to prove anything. Despite the fact that hockey has helped me achieve practically everything in life, I still thought the National Games presented an opportunity for me to bounce back.
“I tried and it worked; I competed in the National Games and finished first, but I was still overlooked. There was therefore no performance concern, Rani told PTI in an exclusive interview.
“I had everything, including performance and athleticism, but either the players or the coaches did not feel confident around me. Judicial feelings could exist. On the other hand, I value completing my job.
“I am aware that there are many players on the roster who are not fit, and I won’t identify them here, but they are still competing in the Asian Games. I am not on the team for those competitions. Hockey has given me a lot in life, so it’s fine that the coach made that decision, she continued.
When asked about her experience following the Olympic high of Tokyo, Rani recalled that it was the most difficult period of her career.
After the Olympics, I had a tremendously difficult path. The hardest period of my career, in my opinion, was during that time. I have witnessed a great deal of suffering. Off the pitch, I’ve picked up a lot of knowledge about people and life.
“I used to merely hear that there is no one with you during terrible moments, but I have actually experienced the issue.
