Some 16 years ago, a 14-year-old girl entered the world of hockey through the 2008 Beijing Olympics qualifiers.
When this girl said goodbye to hockey on Thursday, a farewell ceremony was organized at the Major Dhyanchand Stadium in New Delhi. Rani Rampal has become the first female hockey player in India to retire with such a big event.
Talking to BBC on the phone, Rani said about her retirement, “What could be more demanding from a player than to announce his retirement by standing on his favorite place, the hockey field.”
“I am thankful to Hockey India. I will always be indebted to my parents and coach Baldev sir for their contribution in my journey till now. Without all this, my hockey journey would have never started. Now I will focus on guiding the stars of the future.”
What are your plans?
Rani Rampal has been contracted by Jindal South West (JSW) for their Soram Hockey Club. This club will be a part of the hockey league to be organized in the coming days. This is the first time that the Women’s Hockey League is going to be organized in India.
Expressing her feelings, Rani said, “As a player, I am happy and sad to say goodbye to hockey. But my relationship with the association will certainly continue even in my new role.”
Rani Rampal reached the golden phase of her career as an Indian female player during the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games when the Indian women’s hockey team finished fourth with its best performance. Queen was the captain of that team.
Talking about his experiences he said, “As a player, I have seen a lot of ups and downs. Some of these you enjoy and some of these are lessons for you. Not reaching the podium at the Tokyo Olympics was a moment that will bring tears to my eyes whenever I remember it.” After qualifying for the 2016 Rio and then the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the Indian women’s hockey team failed to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
On this decline in the team’s performance, former Indian women’s hockey captain Rani Rampal said, “Ups and downs are a part of the game.” After finishing fourth in Tokyo, everyone expected that Indian women’s hockey would perform well in the Paris Olympics 2024. “But unfortunately our team could not qualify.”
Rani Rampal also has a lot of hopes for the future. He said, “I am confident that our team will make a comeback and our eyes are set on the Los Angeles Olympics 2028.”
Shahabad to stardom
The daughter of a common man who pulled a cart, Rani started her sporting journey in Shahabad, however, fortunately, she got a chance to learn the game under the tutelage of Dronacharya Award-winning coach Baldev Singh.
Arjuna award winner Rani recalled, “When I went to join the hockey academy in Shahabad in 2002, Baldev sir initially refused to take me.”
Talking about its impact, Rani Rampal says, “I thought that I would never learn hockey. The doors closed forever for me. But this was a trick sir did with almost every newcomer.”
Explaining this trick, Rani says, “They wanted to see whether the new player is interested in hockey and is willing to continue the game for a long time or is just watching it as an amateur.”
Rani Rampal’s family was poor, and due to this, she had to face a lot of challenges. “I still remember that when I finally reached the hockey academy, my biggest concern was poverty,” Rani recalls.
“Being the daughter of a handcart puller, I had no resources. Thinking about buying a hockey stick or investing in a protein diet was a distant dream. But Baldev sir came as an angel for me.” When Rani Rampal joined the Shahbad Center in 2002, for the next two years she kept playing with the old hockey sticks given to her by senior hockey players. Rani Rampal, staff of Sports Authority of India, said, “Then, impressed by my game, sir bought a new hockey stick for me. This was an important turning point in my career. “This increased my hunger for success manyfold.”
Rani Rampal’s journey from sub-junior to the junior and then to the senior national team was easy but it involved countless hours of hard work and a passion for hockey that left everything else behind.
She was also a member of the Indian women’s hockey team that won a bronze medal at the 2013 Junior World Championships.
Rani says, “I made my international debut in 2008 at the Beijing Olympic Qualifiers. At that time I had no idea of the importance of the Olympics for a sportsperson.”
“When we lost the qualifiers and I saw the dejected faces of my seniors, I realized what we had lost. “I decided to take part in the Olympics as my next goal.”
It took Rani another eight years to fulfill her Olympic dream.
Explaining the importance of qualifying for the 2016 Rio Olympics, she says, ‘The last time the Indian women’s hockey team played was in the Moscow Olympics in 1980.’
Baldev Singh, famous as Shahbad’s coach, said, “What more can a coach wish than the success of his student? Rani has been the star of the Indian hockey team and I hope she will be successful in her new role as a mentor.
With her hard work and discipline, Rani has earned her name inside and outside the field.
The journey from struggle to success
The journey of Rani Rampal, the first female hockey player to receive the country’s highest sporting honor, the Khel Ratna, is no less than a fairy tale. Rani belongs to a financially ordinary family.
Where it was a struggle to arrange livelihood for the whole family.
In the conditions in which she was growing up, it was impossible to even dream of playing hockey on the international stage. However, Rani never let the family’s financial constraints come in the way.
Rani Rampal used to live in a hut with her parents during her childhood. After his success in hockey, he gifted his parents a two-story house equipped with modern facilities.
The queen now uses expensive electronic equipment. She wears the latest smartwatches, but there was a time when she used to estimate the time by looking at the stars in the sky to wake up for her morning training session.
The story is no less than an inspiration.
Recalling the days of deprivation, Rani Rampal said, “At that time, I was malnourished. My weight was only 36 kg. There was nothing in the house. There was no food as per the needs of an athlete. All this happened in 2007. I was selected for the first time in the Junior National Camp and the coach told me in front of everyone that I would never be able to play for India in my life.
“But my coming back like this from the camp later proved to be a boon for me. After that, I worked very hard, and with the support of our coach Baldev sir at Shahabad Center, I never looked back. After this, I also got a chance to join Asia XI and World XI.
Rani Rampal’s Achievements
Rani Rampal achieved many achievements in her sports career. He played a total of 254 international hockey matches for India and scored 120 goals in them.
He won a silver medal for India in the 2018 Asian Games and played an important role in getting India’s entry into the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Rani scored an important goal in the last minute against America in the Olympic qualifiers in Odisha.
For his performance on the hockey field, he was awarded India’s highest sporting honor, Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna, in 2020. In the same year, he also received the Padma Shri.
The success story of Rani Rampal is a story of strong will and determination.
