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HOCKEY | Senior women’s coach Marijne prepared for tough year ahead

admin — Fri, 24 Apr 2026 12:34:00 +0000

India women hockey team coach Sjoerd Marijne.
| Photo Credit: FILE PHOTO: BISWARANJAN ROUT

While there has been a lot of talk on the Indian men’s hockey team’s composition for the upcoming World Cup and the Asian Games, not many have spoken about the same for the women. In fact, their schedule is much tighter, with the Nations Cup also scheduled in June before the two big events.

The Nations Cup is equally important for the Indian women to try and earn back its spot in the FIH Pro league. Add to it the fact that coach Sjoerd Marijne, returning after five years to take charge in very different conditions and the challenge becomes manifold. Marijne, however, is unperturbed by it all.

“It was the same in 2018, and we also had the Commonwealth Games back then, so we had four tournaments. And we worked from tournament to tournament with the Asian Games for us being most important but that doesn’t mean we don’t want to do well at the others,” Marijne said during an interaction with select media on Friday.

“We’re using them to be at our best but I believe we can perform in every tournament and it doesn’t matter for the next one. We played the quarterfinals at the 2018 World Cup but then we also did really good at the Asian Games, winning silver. So that’s the way we’re going to do.”

The recent four-match outing against Argentina was important for the Dutchman to assess the players in competition and Marijne, while admitting there were quite a few areas to work on, was optimistic about the improvements in the side.

“I think we are moving in the right direction. I’m not talking only about winning or losing, because I didn’t play any penalty corner variations. We were training different kind of systems and I think the progress in that has been really positive.

“For us, the important thing was the benchmark set by Argentina. And you know now what is required to be able to play against the World No. 2 and be successful. The good thing was that we improved every match. And they struggled sometimes with our speed, that is something I’m quite happy with,” he explained.

Tim White.

While Marijne has a problem of too many tournaments, the newly-appointed junior women’s coach Tim White has little to no international assignment through the year, giving him enough time to understand and work on the team.

With Indian women’s hockey players often straddling both the senior and junior teams, White and Marijne have taken to working together during national camps to build a synergy between the sides.

“I accepted the job because I always saw India as having a lot of potential to be a really world-class team and the challenge of helping the team get to that point and also supporting the seniors is exciting,” White said in his first media interaction since taking charge.

“For any team to have sustainable success, you have to have a good collaboration between the senior and junior programmes. I’m already working with Sjoerd, we’re in the same environment, we share a lot.”

White, however, did admit that the group’s fitness was below-par. “I’ve observed that the group is lower physically than where I was in Belgium or even in Australia.

“We are going to have to work hard to be able to compete with the best junior teams and also have a flow of athletes going into the senior programme. I need to make sure I help the group understand what level of intensity they need to train at. But it’s a challenge in India for sure.”

Published – April 24, 2026 06:04 pm IST

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India Outplayed By Spain In Men’s Pro League Hockey Campaign Opener

admin — Sat, 15 Feb 2025 16:23:42 +0000

Spain took sweet revenge for their defeat against India in the bronze-medal match at the Paris Olympics, overcoming Harmanpreet Singh’s side 3-1 in a FIH men’s Pro League game in Bhubaneswar on Saturday. India put up a lackluster show in their first Pro League match this season, even as Spain showed loads of determination with Borja Lacalle (28th), Ignacio Cobos (38th) and Bruno Avila (56th) slotting home the goals after the hosts had taken the lead in the 25th minute through Sukhjeet Singh.

The first quarter was all about gauging one another’s strengths. Barring a run by Abhishek, who managed to create a chance for Lalit Upadhyay, the Spanish goalkeeper was hardly tested.

India goalkeeper Krishan Bahadur too was rarely tested with the ball just hitting the far post and getting deflected, that too from outside the striking circle.

India brought in keeper Suraj Karkera in the second quarter, and he was called into action almost immediately. He did well to thwart Spain from scoring the opening goal following a good move from the right.

Sukhjeet opened the scoring for the hosts in the 25th minute following a speedy run and circle penetration from the right by Jarmanpreet Singh. The defender relayed the ball to Sukhjeet, who failed to trap it cleanly in his first attempt, but recovered well to send a powerful reverse-hit flying past the Spanish goalkeeper.

Three minutes later, Spain slotted home the equaliser. The rival team forwards prised open the Indian defence with a couple of passes inside the circle before Borja Lacalle, at the far post, tapped the ball in.

With India lacking cohesion upfront and a defensive strategy, Ignacio doubled the lead in the third quarter.

Spain were awarded a penalty corner but a poor trap from Borja saw him let the ball through. He, however, rushed back to take the ball in control and relayed it to Cobos inside the circle, who made no mistake in putting it in.

Spain looked clearly the better side as India conceded multiple penalty corners in the third and fourth quarters.

The European side piled more misery on the hosts when Harmanpreet tried to get an aerial pass from Spain under control and ended up conceding a penalty corner.

Bruno Avila then slotted home his maiden international goal with a powerful drag flick.

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India vs Spain Highlights, FIH Hockey Pro League 2025: Lacklustre India Lose 1-3 To Spain In Campaign Opener

admin — Sat, 15 Feb 2025 12:58:06 +0000

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India vs Spain LIVE Streaming, FIH Hockey Pro League: When And Where To Watch

admin — Sat, 15 Feb 2025 12:23:25 +0000

India vs Spain LIVE Telecast: The Indian men’s hockey team, currently ranked fifth in the world, is all set to kickstart their highly anticipated FIH Pro League 2024-25 campaign. Led by Harmanpreet Singh, the Indian squad will open their campaign with two thrilling matches against World No. 8 Spain on February 15 and 16, followed by intense clashes against World No. 4 Germany on February 18 and 19. India’s campaign will open at home, thus offering a prime opportunity for the team to showcase their recent momentum. Following their encounters with Germany, India will take on Ireland on February 21 and 22, before facing the formidable World No. 2 England on February 24 and 25.

With their bonze medal triumph at the 2024 Paris Olympics, the Harmanpreet Singh-led side has proven their mettle on the international stage. The team was last seen in action during a two-match Test series at home against Germany in October 2024, where India bounced back from a 2-0 defeat in the first game to defeat the visitors 5-3 in the second. Though Germany won the series via shootout, the competitive performances added confidence to India’s preparations for the FIH Pro League.

Earlier, India showcased their prowess by successfully defending their title at the Asian Champions Trophy 2024 in September, winning all their matches and cementing their position as one of Asia’s strongest teams.

Harmanpreet Singh will be joined by vice-captain Hardik Singh as they lead a well-balanced squad filled with both experience and youthful talent. Senior players such as Manpreet Singh, Mandeep Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Sumit, Sanjay, Jugraj Singh, and Vivek Sagar Prasad will form the backbone of the team while emerging stars like Araijeet Singh Hundal, Angad Bir Singh and Arshdeep Singh bring fresh energy and skill to the lineup.

When will the India vs Spain, FIH Hockey Pro League Match take place?

The India vs Spain, FIH Hockey Pro League Match will take place on Saturday, February 15.

Where will the India vs Spain, FIH Hockey Pro League Match be held?

The India vs Spain, FIH Hockey Pro League Match will be held at Kalinga Hockey Stadium in Bhubaneswar.

What time will the India vs Spain, FIH Hockey Pro League Match start?

The India vs Spain, FIH Hockey Pro League Match will start at 7:30 PM IST.

Which TV channels will show the live telecast of the India vs Spain, FIH Hockey Pro League Match?

The India vs Spain, FIH Hockey Pro League Match will be televised live on Star Sport Select 2, Star Sports 3 and DD Sports TV channels in India.

Where to follow the live streaming of the India vs Spain, FIH Hockey Pro League Match?

The India vs Spain, FIH Hockey Pro League Match will be live streamed on JioHotstar.

(All details are as per information provided by the broadcaster)

With IANS Inputs

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Khelo India Winter Games 2025: Army Men In Ice Hockey Final; Maharashtra Lead Medal Tally

admin — Sun, 26 Jan 2025 16:46:56 +0000

The Khelo India Winter Games 2025 men’s ice-hockey final on Monday will be a repeat of last year’s gold medal-round match. On Sunday, Indian Army got the better of hosts UT-Ladakh 2-1 while ITBP defeated Himachal Pradesh 3-1 to set a mouth-watering title clash at the NDS Stadium complex.

The penultimate day of the first leg of the Khelo India Winter Games 2025 brought mixed results for hosts Ladakh even as Maharashtra went past Telangana and Karnataka on the medal tally. With a gold, a silver and a bronze from their skaters on Sunday, Maharashtra lead the standings with eight medals (2 gold, 2 silver and 4 bronze).

Ladakh skaters started the day on a bright note at the NDS Stadium. In the 1000m short track for women, Skarma Tsultim (2:17.91 sec) and Padma Angmo (2:21.13 sec) did a Ladakh one-two leaving Madhya Pradesh’s Udreka Singh (2:22.74 sec) third. Skarma’s maiden KIWG gold was Ladakh’s second this year.

With a total of four medals (2 gold and 2 silvers), Ladakh are joint second in the medal standings with Tamil Nadu, which won two golds – women’s relay and men’s 500m long track — on Sunday.

Maharashtra skaters won a gold (men’s relay), a silver (women’s relay) and a bronze (men’s 500 long track) on Sunday. Karnataka did not win any medal today but Tamil Nadu won both gold (Avikshit Vijay Viswanath) and silver (Selvakumar Muthukumar) at Gupuks Pond where the men’s 500 long track race was held.

In the afternoon session, Indian Army became the first team to enter the final of the men’s ice hockey competition. The defending champions warded off a stiff challenge from hosts Ladakh to win a thriller 2-1.

In another full house at the NDS Stadium, the Army vs Ladakh was such a fiercely contested encounter. Tempers often ran high as Ladakh enjoyed tremendous home support but the young Army men from the Ladakh Scouts Regimental centre backed their team to the hilt with trademark enthusiasm.

Much to the delight of the home fans, Ladakh opened the scoring in the 13th minute of the first period through Stanzin Lotus. The Army team, which suffered a 3-1 defeat against ITBP in a league match on Saturday, took time to settle down and faced several close calls.

The second period produced no goals but Ladakh let in two soft goals in less than a minute in the third and final period to allow Army take control of the match. Army played better as a team as the goals scored by Sherap Zangmo (32nd minute) and Tsewang Chorol (33rd minute) came off quick assists in the scoring zone.

DAY 4 RESULTS (Jan 26)

Ice hockey results: Men’s semi-finals: Indian Army beat UT Ladakh 2-1; ITBP beat Himachal Pradesh 3-1.

(Women round-robin league): ITBP beat Himachal Pradesh 10-0.

ICE SKATING (all finals)

1000m short track (women):

1. Skarma Tsultim (Ladakh) 2:17.91 secs

2. Padma Angmo (Ladakh) 2:21.13

3. Udreka Singh (MP) 2:22.74 sec.

Relay (women):

1. Tamil Nadu (S. Memalokshini, Kalpana Kutappa, Anusri Suresh, Rhea Arun (3:43.62 secs)

2. Maharashtra (3:44.07)

3. Telangana (4:00.90 sec)

Relay (men):

1. Maharashtra (Sumit Tapkir, Atharva Pardeshi, Vyom Sawant, Ishaan Darvekar) 3:07.90 secs

2. Telangana 3:11.85 secs

3. Haryana 3:37.02 sec.

500m long track (men):

1. Avikshit Vijay Viswanath (TN) 00.51.45 sec

2. Selvakumar Muthukumar (TN) 00.54.03

3. Pruthviraj Vinode (Maharashtra) 1:01.80 sec.

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Credit Goes To My Team, Family Members: Harmanpreet Singh On Being Conferred Khel Ratna

admin — Fri, 17 Jan 2025 18:32:56 +0000

File photo of Harmanpreet Singh.© Instagram

After being felicitated with the prestigious Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award, Indian men’s hockey team captain Harmanpreet Singh on Friday said that all the credit goes to his team and family members. Double Olympic medalist Manu Bhaker, World Chess Champion Gukesh Dommaraju, Indian men’s hockey team captain Harmanpreet Singh and Para Athlete Praveen Kumar were awarded the prestigious Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award by the President Droupadi Murmu at the Rashtrapati Bhawan on Friday. Harmanpreet Singh had been part of the Tokyo Olympics where India had won the Hockey bronze. He has also been nominated for FIH Player of the Year. Under his leadership, the India team won a bronze medal in the Paris Olympics.

Speaking to the reporters, Harmanpreet Singh said that he was happy to receive the prestigious award.

“I am very happy and the credit goes to my team and family members… The journey has been great as we have performed very well and won many medals in various tournaments…,” Harmanpreet Singh told reporters.

Coming to other Khel Ratna awardees, Gukesh’s success story was one of the major highlights of Indian sports in 2024. He made history in December by defeating China’s Ding Liren in the decisive 14th game of the FIDE World Championship match in Singapore. The championship, tied at 6.5-6.5 heading into the final game, saw a stellar performance from Gukesh, who secured a 7.5-6.5 victory, becoming the youngest world champion ever at 18. He also became India’s second world chess champion after Viswanathan Anand.

Para Athlete, Praveen Kumar won a Gold in the Men’s High Jump T64 at the Paralympics 2024.

Manu Bhaker opened India’s medal tally in the Olympics after she secured third place in the women’s individual 10m air pistol event, becoming the first-ever woman shooter to win an Olympic medal for India. Following that, Sarabjot Singh and Bhaker won the bronze medal in the 10m air pistol (mixed team) event, which was India’s first-ever shooting team medal.

In her final event, she narrowly missed out on the historic grand treble and finished fourth in the women’s 25m pistol shooting event. She missed out on the opportunity to become the first Indian to win three medals at the Olympics.

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After Champions Trophy Debacle, Pakistan Hockey Face Visa Issue To Travel To India

admin — Fri, 20 Dec 2024 07:54:05 +0000

Representative image.© X (Twitter)

The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) has been told to secure government clearance before confirming participation in the FIH Junior World Cup scheduled in India at the end of next year. PHF Secretary-General Rana Mujahid said the team would require a No Objection Certificate from the federal government for the national squad to travel for the FIH event to be held in December of 2025. “Normally we have always been permitted by our government to play in major events in India in recent years despite the strained relations between the two countries. But now we have been informed to first get clearance before finalising the team and confirming participation,” he told the media here.

The Pakistan junior team was unable to take part in the junior World Cup held in Lucknow in December 2016 after the players were not issued visas because of late submission of applications.

Pakistan qualified for the event after finishing runners-up in the Asia Cup held in Oman recently. The Green-shirts lost the continental final to India 3-5.

“The Junior World Cup is important for us as we intend to build a strong senior squad which can qualify for the next World Cup and Olympics, something we have not done for the last two editions of the summer games,” Mujahid said.

According to the PHF secretary, the national senior hockey championship would be held in Karachi from December 27 to January 8.

He also spoke about the financial struggles of the PHF but said the situation had improved and the federation had recently cleared outstanding daily allowances and other dues of senior and junior team players and officials.

“The government is supporting us and we are hopeful the Sindh government will also release our annual grant soon.”

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Hockey Rankings: Indian Men’s Team Ends Year Placed Fifth, Women In Top 10

admin — Thu, 19 Dec 2024 12:16:33 +0000

The Indian men’s hockey team will end the riveting year in fifth place in the FIH world rankings, while the women’s team is placed ninth in the latest update released by the International Hockey Federation (FIH) on Thursday. The Indian men’s hockey team made history at the 2024 Paris Olympics by winning back-to-back medals at the Games for the first time since the 1972 Olympics in Munich. Olympic champions the Netherlands (3267 points) stand at the top of the rankings. The Netherlands started the year in the top spot following a great run in the FIH Hockey Men’s World Cup, and gold medals at the FIH Hockey Pro League and the EuroHockey Championship in 2023.

A fast start to the 2024-25 season of the FIH Hockey Pro League has propelled England (3139) into second place in the world with Belgium (3124) following closely behind in third, having made a good start to the new Pro League season themselves.

Reigning World Champion Germany (3066) had climbed up to second place following their silver medal at Paris 2024, but a rough start to the Pro League saw them dropping two places, down to fourth in the world.

Eight-time Olympic gold medallist India (2955) and the 2004 winners Australia (2814) are placed fifth and sixth in the world, with both teams set to start their Pro League seasons at home in February 2025 — the Kookaburras playing in Sydney from February 4, while the Men in Blue will start their campaign on February 15 in Bhubaneswar.

Argentina (2722), Spain (2570), France (2116) and Ireland (2112) round out the top-10 to end 2024, with South Africa (2082), New Zealand (2058), Malaysia (1970), Korea (1945) and Pakistan (1942) giving chase as teams ranked from 11 to 15.

In the women’s world rankings, the Netherlands (3689) had another perfect year winning the gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics, along with the EuroHockey Championships gold and another FIH Hockey Pro League title.

Argentina (3203) continue to remain in a distant second place, following their bronze medal performance at Paris 2024. They did manage to close the gap between themselves and the Netherlands earlier this month, after getting their first win in nearly three years, over the Dutch side in the FIH Hockey Pro League 2024-25.

Belgium (2918), Germany (2846), and Australia (2820) started the year as the third, fourth, and fifth-ranked teams in the world, respectively, and continue to hold the same positions as they head into 2025.

However, following them closely behind and rapidly closing the gap are Alyson Annan’s China (2685), who have gone from strength to strength in 2024, with a historic silver medal performance at the Olympics.

England (2471) are stepping into a new era following a slew of retirements in the aftermath of Paris 2024, and while they hold on to the seventh spot in the world rankings, three losses in four matches to start the new season of the Pro League mean, the chasing pack have now closed in on the English.

Spain (on eighth, 2422), India (ninth, 2350) and New Zealand (10th, 2124) round out the top-10 positions heading into 2025.

Both Spain and India will aim to climb up the rankings ladder early in 2025 when they start their FIH Hockey Pro League 2024-25 campaigns in February, in Sydney and Bhubaneswar, respectively.

The chasing pack behind the top-10 includes Japan (2063) in eleventh, Ireland (2028) in twelfth, United States (1998) in thirteenth, Chile (1962) in fourteenth, and Korea (1869) in fifteenth.

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India Defeat Japan 3-1 To Enter Women’s Junior Asia Cup Hockey Final

admin — Sat, 14 Dec 2024 16:09:35 +0000

Defending champions India asserted their dominance with a 3-1 victory over Japan to secure a place in the final of the Women’s Junior Asia Cup hockey tournament in Muscat on Saturday. Mumtaz Khan (4th), Sakshi Rana (5th), Deepika (13th) were on target in the first quarter, while Niko Maruyama scored a consolation goal for Japan in the 23rd minute. It was a one-way traffic for the Jyoti Singh-led India in the opening quarter after Sunelita Toppo foiled Japan’s drag-flick opportunity by making a quick run to intercept a threatening ball in the second minute of play.

India took the lead two minutes later by capitalising on a defensive error. A move from the right flank saw the Japanese defenders and goalkeeper advance to intercept the forwards, but the ball was quickly relayed to an unmarked Mumtaz Khan, who deftly pushed it into an empty goal.

A minute later Sakshi Rana was on target, scoring another field goal to put the defending champions 2-0 up.

India’s relentless attacks saw the midfield stitch another splendid move in the seventh minute but the forwards fumbled inside the circle.

India seemed to have learnt a lesson from their loss to China in a group game, as they shifted gears quickly to launch counterattacks and catch the opponents off-guard.

With two minutes remaining in the first quarter, India earned a penalty stroke, which Deepika converted to make it 3-0.

Japan were more resolute in the second quarter as they broke into the rival circle on a few occasions but were thwarted by a stout defence.

Japanese goalkeeper Saito Miaki made a brilliant save to deny India their fourth goal in the 22nd minute and then pulled off another superb rescue act to thwart the rivals’ effort from a penalty corner.

The Japanese finally got their much-deserved opening goal on the counter to reduce the margin in the 23rd minute before coming close to unnerving India at the fag end of the second quarter.

However, India too continued to make frequent forays into the rival half, mostly from the right flank but the Japanese defence frustrated them with swift clearance as the teams went into half-time with the defending champions leading 3-1.

Rattled by Japan’s fight-back in the second quarter, India were more cautious after the break, which saw their defence being tested in the 34th and 42nd minute.

The final quarter was a nervy affair for India with goalkeeper Nidhi making back-to-back saves in the 46th minute as Japan looked to stage a comeback.

India will take on the winner of the second semi-final between China and South Korea in the title showdown.

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Deepika Nets Hat-Trick As India Hammer Malaysia 5-0 In Womens Junior Asia Cup

admin — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 17:02:20 +0000

Defending champions India shrugged off a slow start to record a 5-0 win over Malaysia in the women’s junior Asia Cup contest with yet another impressive showing in the tournament in Muscat on Monday. It was also India’s third straight win over Malaysia in the history of the tournament, having beaten them 9-1 in the 2015 edition and 2-1 in the 2023 iteration of the event. Coming off a 13-1 thrashing of Bangladesh on Sunday, India were slow to start finding their goals and were also met by stiff resistance from their Malaysian counterparts.

But once India found the first breakthrough, they kept building on the advantage to produce yet another thoroughly dominating show.

Deepika (37th, 39th, 48th) was the star of India’s win as she netted a hat-trick of goals while Vaishnavi Phalke (32nd) and Kanika Siwach (38th) score one goal each.

India looked to attack from the beginning but Malaysian defense was formidable against their opponent’s advances.

India earned the first penalty corner of the game in the 10th minute but Malaysia defended well. The outcome was the same when India got another penalty corner four minutes later, as their opponents did not allow the defending champions any success for first two quarters.

However, the situation changed quickly in the third as India opened the scoring, finally breached the Malaysian defence in the 32nd minute when Vaishnavi successfully converted a penalty corner.

Deepika doubled the lead five minutes later in similar passion to put their side firmly ahead in the contest and India capitalised on the advantage of being 2-0 ahead.

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