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A courageous and decided Indian ladies’s hockey workforce went down the historical past books by coming into the Olympic Video games semifinals for the primary time, gorgeous three-time champions and world No.2 Australia 1-0 in an intense last-eight tie right here right this moment.
A day after the Indian males’s workforce entered the Olympics semifinals following a 49-year hole, the world No. 9 ladies’s facet additionally produced a phenomenally gritty efficiency to enter the last-four.
Drag-flicker Gurjit Kaur rose to the event when it mattered and transformed India’s lone penalty nook within the twenty second minute to shock the Australians.
Coming into the match, the chances have been completely in opposition to India as Australia, a mighty unbeaten opponent, awaited them.
“We’re so comfortable, it’s the results of exhausting work that we put in. In 1980, we certified for the Video games however this time, we made the semifinals. It’s a proud second for us,” Gurjit mentioned after the match. “This workforce is sort of a household, now we have supported one another and located assist from the nation as nicely. We’re very comfortable,” she added.
However the Indians, decided to show some extent, produced a robust and courageous efficiency to eke out the slender win over the Hockeyroos. How a lot it meant for them and Indian hockey usually could possibly be gauged from the feelings that have been on show after the ultimate hooter went off. The gamers screamed, hugged one another, and bought right into a huddle with their Dutch coach Sjoerd Marijne’s cheeks drenched in tears of pleasure.
Discus thrower Kamalpreet Kaur completed a creditable sixth at her first Olympics in a rain-interrupted remaining whereas sprinter Dutee Chand ended her marketing campaign on a disappointing be aware by failing to qualify for the 200 metres semifinals right here right this moment.
The 25-year-old Kaur, who has certified for the ultimate as second greatest on Saturday, was by no means within the operating for a medal within the eight rounds of competitors interrupted by rain for greater than an hour.
Her greatest throw of 63.70m within the third spherical noticed her completed at sixth and equal 2010 Commonwealth Video games gold medallist Krishna Poonia’s efficiency in London.
The teenager, who was with out her private coach, seemed nervous and in need of confidence, maybe because of lack of worldwide publicity however she did maintain her personal in a area the place the USA’s gold medallist Valarie Allman produced a 68.98m throw.
A farmer’s daughter at Punjab’s Kabarwala village, Kaur had raised hopes of India’s elusive athletics medal after ending second within the qualification spherical on Saturday with a greatest throw of 64m.
Within the morning session, sprinter Dutee ran her season’s greatest in 200m however that was not sufficient for a semifinals berth as she made a disappointing exit after ending final in her warmth race.
The 25-year-old clocked 23.85 seconds to complete seventh and final in Warmth 4.
In the meantime, equestrian Fouaad Mirza completed a creditable twenty third in eventing after he turned the primary Indian to achieve the ultimate of the occasion.
It was lastly an finish to their distress as Indian shooters ended their marketing campaign. Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar and Sanjeev Rajput did not qualify for the finals of the boys’s 50m rifle 3 positions occasion, ending twenty first and thirty second respectively on the Asaka Taking pictures Vary. — PTI
“Impressed with the way in which the Indians defended after the aim. They didn’t simply defend the lead, they nearly attacked the lead. They weren’t afraid to go up and press the Australians. The boys’s recreation made us rather more uncomfortable yesterday than the Australian ladies. Credit score to the Indian ladies’s workforce.” — Viren Rasquinha, former India hockey captain
