Winning gold at Asian Games is the target: Savita Punia
It took weeks and months for the girls to overcome the painful loss of having missed the opportunity to finish on the podium for the first time in their history. But, instead of sulking over the Olympic loss, the enriching Tokyo experience and appreciation which Rani Rampal & Co received for their valiant show spurred on the players to aim for medal glory in the run up to their next big assignment - the postponed Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023, which will act as a direct qualifier for the Paris Games 2024. Under the fine leadership of goalkeeper Savita Punia, who has earned the epithet of the 'Great Wall of India' for her dazzling penalty corner saves, the team has set its sight on winning the Asiad gold to directly qualify for Paris, without having to go through the tricky qualification process later on.
