Indian women’s hockey team confident of making 3rd successive Olympics: Navneet

Ranchi: Indian women’s team is confident of booking a third successive Olympic berth and its knowledge of the conditions here will put it in good stead ahead of the eight-team hockey Olympic Qualifiers, said attacking midfielder Navneet Kaur on Monday.

The Indian team, led by Savita Punia, had won the Asian Champions Trophy at the same venue of Marang Gomke Jaypal Singh Mundha AstroTurf Hockey Stadium in November last year.

The hosts defeated Japan 4-0 in the final to secure their second consecutive title in the competition.

“Arriving in Ranchi early has helped us gain quite a few sessions on the main pitch and it has also

helped us acclimatise to this weather,” Navneet said in a Hockey India release.

“Since we have also played in this venue before, during the Women’s Asian Champions Trophy, we know the pitch well.”

Fuelled by their historic fourth-place finish in the Tokyo Olympic Games, the Indian side spent about a week understanding

the conditions.