Kolkata, Oct 10 (SocialNews.XYZ) Salima Tete, captain of the Asian Games gold medal-winning Indian women's hockey team, was felicitated at the South Eastern Railway (SER) headquarters in Kolkata on Friday.
Nikki Pradhan and Deepika Soreng, two other members of the team, were also felicitated during the occasion. All three are from Jharkhand and work for SER.
Salima led her team to a historic gold medal at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, by defeating world champions China in the finals. This was the first Asian Games gold medal for the women's hockey team in 44 years.
The Indian captain has humble roots in a Jharkhand village and has had to struggle hard to reach the top. She displayed her exceptional talent throughout the continental tournament. In the extremely tough final match, she had to leave the field for a while after suffering a severe hand injury. There was major concern regarding the Indian defence till she returned to the field. The Asian Games victory also got the Indian women's team entry to the Los Angeles Olympics.
Her humble background made the win especially special, Salima said after the victory. She also said that the players had gone to the tournament with the determination to win. Every match was treated as a final, she said.
The win was a great achievement after a disappointing start earlier in the year when the team missed out on reaching the World Cup semi-final spot.
During the day, the three players were felicitated by SER general manager Anil Kumar Jain. The victory has brought immense pride to the railway fraternity and the nation, he said, pointing to how their dedication, teamwork and sporting excellence have brought many laurels to Indian hockey.
He also wished them all the best for the future and assured all support. "SER has always stood by sportspersons, and there have been several nationally and internationally acclaimed ones serving with us. The job provides them with the major support that they need to pay full attention to sports without worrying about anything else. Our efforts will continue," a senior official said.
Source: IANS
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