Tokyo Olympics: Indian women hockey team ride on Gurjit Kaur and Savita Punia heroics

Like the men, women have also battled back at the Tokyo Olympics after a disappointing start, hammered in their first three games against world champions Netherlands (1-5), Germany (0-2) and holders Britain (1-4).

The odds were stacked up against Indian women hockey team heading into the Tokyo Olympics quarterfinals clash against Group B toppers Australia. Rani Rampal’s side were up against a team which is three-time Olympic gold-medallist – 1988, 1996 and 2000 – and two-time hockey World Cup winner (1994 and 1998) while the Indians had never progressed to the semifinals stage ever. India had to wait for several hours after their nail-biting 4-3 win over South Africa on Saturday (July 31) to see if they will progress to a quarterfinal. The Ireland-Great Britain clash decided their fate, which the latter coming out on top to pave way for India’s entry into the knockouts. Though India finished fourth in Moscow 1980 – when women’s hockey was introduced at the Games – the knockout format didn’t exist back then with the top-3 in the league phase winning medals. They had to wait another 36 years before qualifying for Olympics as they reached the Rio Olympics where they finished last without a win.