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Tag: women's hockey

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Janneke Schopman on why Rani Rampal was sidelined: ‘She wasn’t good enough… couldn’t run’

Janneke Schopman stepped down from her role as the chief coach of Indian women’s hockey team on Friday just days after she spoke out about the treatment she had received from Hockey India. The Dutch coach’s explosive interview about Hockey India officials coupled with the Indian women’s team’s inability to qualify for the Paris Olympics meant that Schopman parting ways with the Indian team was inevitable. One of the issues that lingered on during Schopman’s two-and-a-half year stint at the helm of the women’s team was the exclusion of team talisman Rani Rampal from the side. Under Rani’s captaincy, India had finished fourth at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. But she had barely featured for the women’s team since Schopman took over the reins of the Indian team from compatriot Sjoerd Marijn...
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Janneke Schopman resigns: India women’s hockey coach leaves on bitter note, but here’s why her contribution shouldn’t be undermined

Janneke Schopman’s voice choked with emotion midway through what would now be one of her last interactions with the media. The Olympic qualifiers saw the Indian women’s hockey team fall short of accomplishing their goal; after famously finishing fourth in Tokyo, they wouldn’t even be playing at the 2024 Olympics.“Very hard. Because, you know…,” she paused when asked about the challenges she faced. “I come from a culture where women are respected and valued. I don’t feel that here.” She would also say she felt ‘alone a lot’. For a coach who spoke at every possible opportunity about growing as a team, the parting words couldn’t have been more anti-climactic. After the FIH Pro League leg in Odisha, Schopman’s tenure as head coach officially ended on Friday night. And as it often does in In...
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India’s women hockey coach hits out: ‘Didn’t feel like I was valued or respected by Hockey India’

Lamenting that ‘this country is extremely difficult for a woman’, the first female to coach the Indian hockey team broke down as she opened up about the day-to-day challenges she has faced in her two-and-a-half years in the job.An Olympic gold medallist, Janneke Schopman, claimed she felt ‘alone a lot in the last two years’, wasn’t ‘valued and respected’ by her employers Hockey India and hit out at the differential treatment towards the women’s team compared to the men. Schopman, 46, further added that she ‘should have left after the Commonwealth Games because it was too hard for me to manage’ although she had ‘no regrets’ for staying on. Talking about dealing with officials in Hockey India, Schopman said: “Very hard, very hard. Because, you know, I come from a culture where women are r...
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FIH Hockey Pro League: ‘A lot of sadness’ Paris 2024 heartbreak still fresh, Indian women’s team face massive challenge in Odisha

From Saturday, five of the top teams in women’s hockey – India, China, USA, Australia, and powerhouses Netherlands – will all be in action in Odisha over what promises to be a high-quality leg of the FIH Pro League 2023-’24. Over 20 matches, they will get to test each other at the biggest level at the start of an important year. Unfortunately for India, they are the only team among the five who won’t be at the Paris Olympics. The heartbreak of not qualifying for the marquee event from Ranchi still fresh, Savita Punia and Co return to action in a tournament that would have meant a whole lot otherwise. When India won the FIH Nations Cup in Spain to qualify for the Pro League, it was seen as a massive shot in the arm and a chance for quality preparation for the Olympics, but now they will ...
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India enter final of FIH Hockey5s Women’s World Cup | Hockey News – Times of India

In a thrilling semifinal victory on Friday, India secured a 6-3 victory over South Africa to move into the final of the FIH Hockey5s Women's World Cup. The last-four clash saw goals from Akshata Abaso Dhekale (7th minute), Mariana Kujur (11th), Mumtaz Khan (21st), Rutuja Dadaso Pisal (23rd), Jyoti Chhatri (25th) and Ajima Kujur (26th) for India.South Africa, with goals from Teshawn De La Rey (5th), captain Toni Marks (8th) and Dirkie Chamberlain (29th), initially took a defensive stance in the first half but still took an early lead with the game's first goal. But India quickly equalized with a powerful shot from Akshata. Toni Marks restored South Africa's lead, but Mariana Kujur's rocket shot soon leveled the score at 2-2.The second half witnessed South Africa's strong start testing In...
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India vs Japan Live Score, FIH Olympic Qualifier: IND with one last shot to confirm Paris 2024 berth

FIH Olympic Qualifiers: How India missed a golden opportunity in shootouts against Germany Indian players celebrate after they equal the score 2-2 against Germany during the FIH Women's Olympic Qualifiers match, at Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Astro Turf Hockey Stadium in Ranchi, Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024. (PTI Photo/Swapan Mahapatra) A pall of gloom hung over the Jaipal Singh Stadium. The captain, Savita Punia, was inconsolable. The coach, Janneke Schopman, frowned. The crowd stunned into silence. Shattered that the first chance to qualify for the Paris Olympics had slipped away after coming within touching distance. “We played so hard… But it was not our day,” Savita said, her voice quivering. It was a sort of heavy-on-the-heart affair that’s become synonymous with the Indian men’s team. ...
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India vs Italy Live Score, FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifier: IND lead 2-0 against ITA in third quarter

The Indian women's hockey team defeated New Zealand to keep their hopes alive of qualifying for the Paris Olympics. (PHOTO: Hockey India) The Indian women's hockey team have followed in the footsteps of the men's side in making a seemingly straightforward task hugely complicated and not knowing which side will turn up on the match day – the sensationally skillful or frustratingly awful. In two days, India’s hopes of qualifying for the Olympics have gone from touching the nadir, thanks to the opening-day defeat to the US, to being resurrected in the most extraordinary fashion with a win over New Zealand on Sunday. (Read more) !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s) {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod? n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)}; if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n...
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Ahead of do-or-die match, breaking down what needs to happen for Indian women’s hockey team to stay in qualification race for Paris Olympics

It’s a situation the men’s team is fairly familiar with: a big tournament, a seemingly straightforward task made hugely complicated and not knowing which side will turn up on the match day – the sensationally skilful or frustratingly awful.The women have followed in their footsteps. In two days, India’s hopes of qualifying for the Olympics have gone from touching the nadir, thanks to the opening-day defeat to the US, to being resurrected in the most extraordinary fashion with a win over New Zealand on Sunday. When the Savita Punia-led team returns to action in the Olympic qualifying tournament on Tuesday, they’ll hope there will be no more twists. That bit, though, won’t be entirely in their hands. Before they take the field in Ranchi at 7.30 pm local time, India will have their eyes fi...
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Hockey: Meet Pratima Barwa, the coach behind Salima Tete and Sangita Kumari’s rise from Simdega

Sangita Kumari welled up when she learnt that, on one of the most memorable nights of her career, her mentor had been watching from the stands.The young hockey forward was oblivious to the fact when, last month, India produced a near-perfect performance to beat South Korea 5-0 in the Asian Champions Trophy in Ranchi. Leading the demolition were a couple of homegrown talents, including Sangita. And cheering for them was a coach who had polished these rough diamonds. “Oh I didn’t know she came today,” Sangita had said, choking up a bit as she spoke. “It feels really good to hear that she watched us. I am feeling very proud!” The mentor is Pratima Barwa, who has been training young female hockey players at the Jharkhand government-run hockey centre in Simdega, a remote rural area 135 km s...
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Asian Champions Trophy: Navneet Kaur finds the space, Deepika finds her footing as India down Japan in an entertaining ‘arm-wrestle’

At half-time, Japan’s coach Jude Menezes – an Indian Olympian – called the group-stage match against the hosts an arm-wrestle duel. It was an entertaining encounter between teams with perfect records at the Asian Champions Trophy here. In the end, India just about managed to muscle their way past to make it four wins out of four. Navneet Kaur (31′) put India ahead and then Kana Urata (37′) brought Japan back into the match with a ferocious drag flick. With both sides pushing hard, the winner eventually came from Sangita Kumari (47′) after Deepika won and took a series of Penalty Corners to eventually bring the arm down in India’s favour. Somewhere in the third quarter, when there was a bit of a lull in the atmosphere, there was a loud yell of “Deepika” from India coach Janneke Schopman ...
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Asian Champions Trophy hockey: Salima Tete’s reluctant move to the centre pays off in India’s intense 2-1 win against China

After India beat China 2-1 at the Asian Champions Trophy in Ranchi on Monday, head coach Janneke Schopman gave Salima Tete a bear hug. The 21-year-old stood there with the player of the match award in her hand, receiving her coach’s adulation. The Simdega speedster’s goal was the difference between the two teams in the end in an intense battle that India won to confirm their place in the semifinals. Deepika (15′) and Salima (26′) scored for India in the first half, while Jiaqi Zhong (41′) brought China back in the second in a match of two halves. And one of the keys to India’s win was how well Salima played through the middle. The player known for her blistering pace, with the strength in the legs that was built up through the days of playing barefoot in the mud fields as a kid, usually...
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Asian Champions Trophy: Savita Punia to lead India’s charge in Ranchi as Hockey India name largely same squad as Hangzhou

It will be a largely unchanged Indian women’s hockey team squad from Hangzhou that will take part in the Women’s Asian Champions Trophy 2023 set to take place from 27th October to 5th November in Ranchi, Jharkand. Hockey India announced a 20-member squad on Wednesday with Savita Punia leading the side with Deep Grace Ekka as her deputy. India recently won the bronze medal at the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou. India will compete at the ACT alongside Japan, China, Korea, Malaysia, and Thailand. India’s Chief Coach Janneke Schopman said, “It is an important tournament for us to continue our momentum and our steady improvement as a team. While we performed well at the Asian Games to claim bronze, the upcoming tournament will give us a chance to further improve our standings against our Asian ch...
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Tushar Khandker appointed head coach of junior Indian women’s hockey team | Hockey News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Hockey India on Tuesday appointed former skipper Tushar Khandker as head coach of the junior women's national team, which is now preparing for the World Cup, scheduled to be held in Santiago from November 29 to December 10.Khandker replaced Harvinder Singh, who was named coach on an interim basis after Eric Wonink left the position in January.Women's chief coach Janneke Schopman, who looks after both senior and junior sides, is busy with the Asian Games preparation and thus Khandker has been appointed as the head coach of the junior side.While Khandker's credentials are backed by a prolific career in international hockey, he has over the last decade developed a strong portfolio in coaching."I have always been inclined towards coaching after my playing career. Over the years, ...