Players of Indian women's Junior hockey team showing their bronze medals upon arrival in New Delhi.
NEW DELHI: Winning the historic bronze medal in the junior hockey World Cup might have brought the Indian girls in the limelight, but the players know these celebrations won't last long.
They are aware that in a few days many of them will be back in a world where they face hurdles at every step.
Success in sports does help players get a better life, but there's little luck coming the way of these gutsy girls whose families find it hard to make both ends meet while providing support to these players. TOI spoke of some of these champions:
Rani Ramphal
Eighteen years old Rani first hit the headlines when she was named the 'young player' of the 2010 World Cup. The daughter of a cart-puller from Haryana was chased by the media and celebrated by officials and politicians. You wouldn't blame her for thinking that her life would change for the better. Sadly, it did not.
Three years later, the Shahabad (Haryana) girl, who was declared 'player of the tournament' in the junior World Cup, is still trying to come to terms with her financial problems. "I don't have a sponsor," said Rani. "I have a job that earns me Rs 10,000 a month. I have to buy my shoes and other stuff from that money. The situation at home has not changed despite playing at the highest level for the last few years."
Probably the only thing that has changed is that Rani has graduated from a bicycle to a scooty. "I used to go for training on a bicycle. But a back problem meant I could not ride it anymore. That's when I was forced to buy a scooty," she told TOI.
Left to fend for herself despite her glowing achievements, Rani is now looking up to the Haryana government for assistance. "I am thinking of changing my job. A job in the Haryana government will make life easier," she said.
Rani's father Ramphal too rued that there was not much support coming the way of her daughter who's considered one of the best strikers in the country. "I think more should be done for her as she has a bright future," said her father who still pulls a cart for a living.
Rani has two brothers. One of them is a carpenter while the other is employed in a workshop.
Navneet Kaur
Remember Navneet Kaur, the girl who scored the winning goal in India's bronze medal match against England in the junior World Cup? Her story is not much different from that of Rani.
The 17-year-old, one of the youngest in the squad, has had to rely on her family so far for her requirements. Like so many other athletes, Navneet's family too is struggling to support her. "I am small-time AC mechanic.
It's very difficult to fulfill all her requirements. I remember when she first expressed her interest in playing hockey I asked her several times whether she was serious about it. Buying sticks and shoes is an expensive affair," her father Buta Singh told TOI. "It's difficult. She has no job and no sponsors. Even today she has to cover a distance of about two kilometers on foot to attend training in Shahabad."
Vandana Kataria
Vandana Kataria might be slightly luckier than some of her teammates as her father is working as a master technician with Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd in Haridwar.
But supporting his talented daughter has not been easy, admits her father Nahar Singh. "Three of my daughters play hockey. So you can understand that with my income it's difficult to support them.
At times I had to take loans to take care of their needs. My biggest worry is that I will be retiring from my job next year and it will be even more difficult to help them," said Singh.
Medal winners return home
The bronze-medal winning Indian junior women's hockey team on Tuesday returned home amid fanfare and celebrations after scripting history at the seventh FIH Junior World Cup in Monchengladbach, Germany.
The team arrived at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in the morning via Dubai. The Indian girls beat England 3-2 in the bronze medal play-off to finish on the podium - their best-ever showing in the marquee event.
Captain Sushila Chanu said the entire team was delighted to have made the country proud. "There was pressure on us in the bronze medal match but we were confident of winning a medal," she said
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