Rani Rampal calls curtains on historic career, terms Tokyo Olympics as highlight of her career (Ld)

New Delhi, Oct 24 (IANS) India's veteran women's hockey player Rani Rampal announced her retirement in front of a big crowd at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium here on Thursday. The former captain took the time to recall the fondest memory of her 16-year career and acknowledged the significance of the venue where she got to announce.

“My fondest memory (of my career) is the Tokyo Olympics when we beat Australia in the quarterfinals, that was the first time when the women’s team finished in the top four,” Rani Rampal told IANS after the second match of the India v Germany bilateral series.

“It is truly an honour that my retirement has come at the venue named after our hockey wizard Major Dhyanchand. This was the first event being played here in 11 years. The last time I played here was during the 2012 Olympic qualifiers and I am very happy that I got to announce my retirement here,” she added.

India finished fourth in the re-scheduled 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the team created history at the Games but narrowly missed out on a medal after losing to Great Britain in the third-place playoff. Rani was the captain of the side and she was later awarded the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna and Padma Shri awards in the same year.

Hockey India on Thursday honoured her remarkable contribution by retiring her iconic No. 28 jersey in a ceremony held after the India vs Germany bilateral series.

Rani’s impact on Indian hockey has been nothing short of extraordinary. Over her career, she played more than 250 matches for India and scored over 100 goals, leading the team to several historic victories. She was a driving force behind India’s silver medals at the 2017 Women’s Asian Cup and the 2018 Asian Games, where she also had the honour of serving as India’s flag-bearer during the closing ceremony.

“I am very emotional. I don’t know where to begin. I thank Hockey India for letting me say my goodbye from the ground. I know all the spectators on the ground are hockey lovers. When I started at the age of 7, maybe the people in the crowd saw my journey and gave me love. I thank all of you for coming here. I consider myself a very lucky person, I believe it’s the end of one chapter but the beginning of another," said Rani while announcing her retirement.

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