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Kataria, who called time on her illustrious career, shed light on new path to becoming the nation’s most capped women’s player, the support she received from he father in her odyssey and the one regret she has from her time as an international.
Vandana Kataria. (X)
Overcoming stereotypes, and battling castiest remarks was never easy but Vandana Kataria, with the backing of her late father, not only blossomed into a valuable hockey player for India but also inspired the girls from her village to take up the sport.
Her dream of winning an Olympic medal remained unfulfilled, something she really regrets, but became the most capped woman player from the country. The 32-year-old competed in 320 international games, scoring 158 goals.
There were a few battles that were fought beyond the hockey turf.
During the Tokyo Games, a man called Vijay Pal and his friends created a ruckus outside her house and hurled casteist abuses at her family members for belonging to ‘Dalit’ community after India lost to Argentina in the semifinal.
“When I started hockey from Roshanabad (in Haridwar), there was that mentality that girls can’t go out of home, can’t do anything in career. Our neighbours and relatives used to tell my father that why are you sending her out. But he never paid heed to those people and supported me, so he was my inspiration,” Katariya said.
“It was really a struggle out there, many a times I thought of giving up but I didn’t and managed to answer those critics. Now there are plenty of players from my village who are playing hockey and there is an astro-turf as well.
“My father was always with me, he tackled every situation. He was my biggest supporter. Just before Tokyo Games he passed away and it was a really difficult time for me, I was also returning from injury but my hockey family always stood by me.”
Katariya said the decision did not come easy but she felt it was right time to take the call.
“Actually, it was really a hard decision for me because I had been playing for a long time, but felt many junior players have come in and it’s time to give them chance. They were doing well and for the last 2-3 days I wasn’t feeling well, so I made my mind and took the decision,” she said.
“I am still fit, there is no problem with my fitness but somewhere I felt I am not in that zone, not feeling well, so took the decision.”
A pillar of Indian women’s hockey team since her senior debut in 2009, Katariya played a crucial role in defining moments for the sport. She became the first and only Indian woman to score a hat-trick at the Tokyo Games against South Africa.
“In this long journey every player dreams about winning an Olympic medal. That regret will always be there but it’s now a new journey for me,” she said.
Katariya said she was initially a kho kho player but her sisters encouraged her to take up hockey.
“I used to play kho kho, played football and athletics as well but my main game was kho kho. My sisters Rina Katariya and Anjali Katariya used to play hockey, so one fine day I picked up their stick and started playing.
“Some seniors saw me and said you play hockey well, continue that. After that I went to Meerut sports hostel, and then to Lucknow. If you have support from your family, teammates and support staff, you can achieve anything, whatever may be the ups and downs,” she said.
Katariya said although she hasn’t thought much about the future course of her career, she wants to give it back to the game in future.
“I still haven’t thought about anything right now, my mind is blank, but definitely want to give back, groom youngsters, help them develop their skills.”
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – PTI)