Asian Games: Savita wants to take it one step at a time

Skipper says team can win gold but players won’t put pressure on themselves thinking about it
BENGALURU: Barely five days after her wedding in March – her bridal mehndi hadn’t even faded – Indian women’s hockey captain and goalkeeper Savita Punia was back to the grind, working towards qualifying for the 2024 Olympics.
Since her wedding, Savita has visited her Canada-based husband Ankit Balhara just once. She fears the long travel could result in fatigue or injury. At 33, she has just one shot left for Olympic glory and wants to leave nothing to chance. More trips to Canada can wait till the Olympics, she says.
The route to Paris goes through the Asian Games in Hangzhou. If India does not seal a berth there, the team then moves either to Valencia in Spain or the Chinese city of Changzhou, two venues that will host Olympic qualifiers in January next year.
“If there has been any change after my wedding, it is only for the good. I now have a bigger support system,” Savita said. “My mother-in-law keeps telling me to rest, take care of my diet and insists that I don’t spend too much time on the phone. There is a perception that female athletes should achieve whatever we can before marriage, but I’ve been fortunate. My husband and in-laws have told me to continue playing however long I want to.”
The fourth-place finish at the Tokyo Games has brought recognition to the team and instilled in players a belief in their abilities. “Earlier, we would play against second-string teams in European countries, but now we get invites to play against the main teams,” the Arjuna awardee said.
But with acknowledgement comes pressure to perform consistently and that is not lost on Savita and the team. “The Nations Cup win last year was a morale booster. Over time, we realised that we can’t rest on the Olympics fourth place finish. We must pick ourselves up and move forward. That is what we are doing now.”
On the pressure to win gold at the Asian Games, Savita said, “After the Olympics, we learnt to live in the present and focus on our next target. We try not to look at the results but rather focus on one match at a time. Looking too far ahead puts a lot of pressure on us. We focus on the execution of our plans rather than bother about the opposition. That said, we have it in us to win the gold at the Asian Games.”
On a notice board in the team’s meeting room at SAI, South Centre in Bengaluru, players have scribbled their favourite ‘cheat’ meals they have given up until the Games. It ranges from pasta and cake to biryani and sweets. Savita, among the very few goalkeepers in the sport to lead a team, has given up pizza and pani puri – her favourites. Complacency too is off their list. “Over the years, all teams have shown marked improvement. Korea, China, Japan and India are the best teams in Asia. But we will play the other teams too with complete focus,” she said.
India begin their campaign against Singapore on September 27.