JE Sports Desk: Elated with the historic success at Women's Junior Hockey Asia Cup after clinching their first-ever title on Sunday in Japan, skipper Preeti mentioned a miraculous sequence of getting praised by people who earlier raised eyebrows at her sporting career.
"My family is very happy after this and to be honest earlier I used to get backlash from unknown people who now are sending me wishes through messages and all. It feels like a miraculous thing to change people's opinions in such a way. All those who used to doubt me are now praising me and my achievement. It's a great feeling," the India colts skipper, who hails from Haryana's Sonipat, said in an exclusive interview with Jagran English.
India edged past South Korea with a 2-0 victory in the final to register a historic win. Annu and Neelam etched their names to the scoresheet in the summit clash for Women in Blue.
While talking about exposure moving forward, Preeti said that the team wants more matches and tournaments in order to prepare for upcoming challenges.
"We are getting enough attention and support from everywhere, but I want to mention the lack of junior tournaments we are getting to play. So, I think that getting tournaments will only help us get better and prepare well after gaining enough experience."
"The exposure I was talking about the matches and tournaments which can help us to get in the road for the senior side as well," the defender added.
Meanwhile, star player Mumtaz Khan heavily praised the coaching staff and thanked the administration and Hockey India for all the assistance and also praised the media for backing the team throughout the tournament.
"We had a well-established unity in the side and I fully give credit to coaches, especially to Janneke Schopman who is the best coach according to me. I haven't seen anyone better than her. It was a first outing for many players who were clueless about playing at this level but the coach made it clear that all are equal while representing the nation. Win or lose, you take both as a team, that was the key motivation," Mumtaz told Jagran English.
"Special mention to the media for all the attention and Hockey India for treating us special and providing every possible support which eventually helped us in creating history.
"I still can't believe that we have done something that will be remembered for a very long time. It's a feeling that can't be expressed in words," she added.
While talking about the early struggles, both players shared their experiences of having been injured at such a small age and still being able to bounce back to fulfill their dreams.
"I want everyone to get familiar with my struggles but now I want to be known for my hockey, my game, my success, and what I may achieve in the future. I started playing hockey at a very young age and went on to win medals at the youth level before picking up an ACL injury in 2019.
"It was a tough period for me as I had to undergo rehabilitation for a year and as a young player, it's a horrible thing. I used to think that this might be the end of my career and I had to listen to a few things about it as well. I learned a lot from that period and I think that all of that struggle paid off very well in the end," said Mumtaz.
"Things are not easy for women in Sonipat, Haryana as they are restricted to go out, and once I picked up the injury, I was told by everyone that you won't be able to walk again and all those things. So after getting such a response I took the game very seriously and wanted to prove everyone wrong.
I used to get hurt remembering those moments and I think more support should be given to girls in Haryana because I believe there is enough talent to make India proud and bring medals for the country," Preeti added about her career struggles.
Preeti shared thoughts about preparation for the upcoming challenges, especially for the World Cup later this year.
"We have a few months in hand and will try out very best to resolve every possible mistake as a team. It will not be an individual process because it is important for us to continue this form as a group together and perform well in future tournaments also," she concluded.
Mumtaz finished as the second-highest goal-scorer for India with six goals after Annu topped the tournament chart with nine goals.
India's win also secured them a spot in the FIH Junior Women's Hockey World which will take place in Chile later this year.