Guwahati: Mizoram has had many successes in football, but when it comes to hockey, the state has never managed to replicate the success it has had on the football field. Until recently, the state had not sent a single hockey player to the national team.
Which makes the Mizoram Junior Women’s hockey team’s achievements even more amazing. The team clinched the silver medal at the inaugural Hockey India Junior Women East Zone Championship 2023.
What’s more fascinating is the fact that Mizoram finished ahead of hockey powerhouse Odisha in the tournament held at Khunti, near Ranchi. In the summit clash against the hosts, Mizoram came agonisingly closer to the gold medal after registering 2-2 in regulation time, before Jharkhand prevailed 2-1 in the shoot-out.
Earlier, Mizoram had finished second in Pool A with four victories under their belt from five games.
For a state where there are few academies imparting hockey training, Mizoram has so far produced a lone player in Lalremsiami, the charismatic forward who went on to represent India at the Tokyo Olympics where the women’s team finished a heart-breaking fourth in 2021.
Hailing from Kolasib, about 80 kilometres from Aizawl, Lalremsiami, who was selected for a state government-run program in Thenzawl in 2016, acknowledged the lack of training facilities during her formative days. She expressed immense happiness at the junior team’s progress, thanks to Hockey India’s ‘Har Ghar Ho Hockey Ki Pehchan’ program with several young players swiftly coming up the ranks.
Lalremsiami’s career took off when she was picked as a trainee at the National Hockey Academy in New Delhi where she honed her skills. Her breakthrough came in 2016 when she was picked for the U-18 junior Indian team for the U-18 Junior Asia Cup.
She became the first Mizoram player to play for India at the Asian Games in 2018, where India won a silver medal. In 2021, she subsequently became the first from the state to feature at the Olympic Games in Tokyo.
“When I took up the sport about eight-nine years ago, there were fewer players taking up hockey as there was more focus on football. I came into the national program after getting selected for the National Hockey Academy in New Delhi. But now there are many more players coming up in the state from far-off districts as the state association is actively hosting camps and local events,” she said while recollecting her journey.
Hailing the young guns from her state, the 23-year-old forward said, “We are all immensely proud of our Junior Team for their outstanding performance in the inaugural Hockey India Junior Women East Zone Championship 2023. Their commitment, hard work, and team spirit were truly admirable and inspired us all, and I’d like to take this opportunity to congratulate them on a job well done!”
“It makes me feel very proud and happy to see more players coming into the junior camps from the northeast. Many youngsters now feel like they can make a career out of hockey which will help them provide a financially stable life for themselves and their families,” added the attacking forward who also doubles up as a halfback.
Speaking about her meteoric rise in the Indian women’s side, Siami said, “It’s been a great journey so far. I never thought I would play more than 100 matches for India so fast in my career. I still have a long way to go and it’s been great to be part of the Indian women’s hockey team’s new era where we are doing well in top international tournaments.”
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Next up, the team is looking to further improve their performance at the Asian Games in China. In 2018, the team ended their campaign with a silver medal and in 2014 they won a bronze medal.
“Back in 2018, we lost a close final to Japan. As youngsters back then, some were quite happy to win a silver medal but in hindsight, I feel like we came so close to a historic gold medal. Our aim this time is to win gold and qualify for the Olympics for the third consecutive time,” Siami said.
The Indian women’s team is currently based at the Sports Authority of India (SAI), Bengaluru for the national camp.
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