Former Indian women’s hockey team captain Rani Rampal has announced her retirement, ending her 16-year hockey career. Under the captaincy of Rani Rampal, India achieved fourth place in the Tokyo Olympics (2020). This was the best performance by the Indian women’s hockey team in the history of the Olympic Games. Rani Rampal, 29, scored 205 goals in a total of 254 matches for India.
‘I never thought that…’
Rani Rampal’s father used to work as a cart puller and during her career, she became an inspiration to the people of a small town in Haryana. Rani said at the press conference: ‘It has been a wonderful journey. I never thought I would play for India for so long. I have seen a lot of poverty since I was little, but my focus was always on doing something, on representing the country.
An era of excellence comes to an end!
Today we say goodbye to the one and only Rani Rampal, an icon who has defined Indian hockey for over a decade. From leading India to countless victories and being an inspiration to aspiring athletes across the country, Rani’s legacy… pic.twitter.com/TRer76L8Li
– Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) October 24, 2024
This 29-year-old veteran forward debuted in international hockey at the age of 14 through the Olympic Qualifier (2008). Then, at the age of 15, he participated in the 2010 World Cup, where he scored seven goals. This helped India achieve its best performance since 1978 and reach ninth position in the world rankings.
Rani Rampal has received these awards
Apart from being a striker, Rani Rampal also played as a midfielder throughout her career. He played an important role in the Indian team’s victories. Rani was also part of the team that won the silver medal at the Women’s Asia Cup in 2017 and the silver medal at the Asian Games (2018). He received the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award in 2020 and received the country’s fourth highest civilian award, Padmashree, in the same year. Rani was recently appointed national coach of the sub-junior women’s team.
