Lalremsiami, India’s 21-Year-Old Striker Had Promised Her Father To Play In The Olympics

Saturday, July 10, 2021, 16:46

Young Indian Striker Lalremsiami has made it to the 16-member Indian Women's Hockey Squad that will be participating in the Tokyo Olympics. She is one of the eight debutants in the women's hockey squad for the Tokyo Olympics. Lalremsiami is quite hopeful of winning a medal in Japan. The 21-year-old striker told the press, "The team has worked hard and made many sacrifices for the Olympics due to the current COVID-19 pandemic situation".

Lalremsiami is quite excited about being selected for the Games as she had promised her late father to play in the Olympics.

"We won't waste the hard work and sacrifices we all have made at the camp. We will give our best in Tokyo. We have been getting wonderful support from the fans and I hope we make them proud by winning a medal at the Tokyo Olympics," Lalremsiami was quoted saying by the ANI.

Today we are here to tell you about this wonderful hockey player. Scroll down to read more.

1. Lalremsiami was born on 30 March 2000, into a family of agriculturists in Kolasib, a small town in Aizawl, Mizoram.
2. Her mother Lazarmawii is a homemaker while her father Late Lalthansanga Zote was a farmer.
3. When Lalremsiami was barely 11, she was selected by a hockey academy in Thenzawl. The academy was run by the government of Mizoram.
4. "I was introduced to hockey in a playground near my house, and as soon as my school hockey coach saw me playing, he selected me for the school team. When I was ten, I played my first inter-school tournament, and won the Best Hockey Player award, along with Rs. 500 cash prize. So, that's how my love affair with this beautiful game started," she was quoted talking about her initial journey to the world of hockey.
5. After playing for a few years, she was selected by the National Hockey Academy, New Delhi.
6. During her initial days in New Delhi, she struggled to speak and understand Hindi. However, she gradually picked up the language with the help of her teammates who called her 'Siami'.
7. Her father always supported her dream of playing hockey. She said, "I spent five years of my life training in Thenzawl before I moved to Delhi in 2016. When I was leaving my home, I told my dad that I will represent India one day, and here I am today! I did face a lot of challenges during my early days. The only source of income for my family was farming, but it was my dad who supported me and encouraged me to pursue my dreams."
8. Lalremsiami was a part of the Under-18 Indian side player team that went for the Asia Cup 2016. She was later selected for the senior team by Balraj Singh Saini, the coach of the Junior Team.
9. At the 2018 World Cup, she was a part of an 18-member squad representing India. She played as the youngest player of the country.
10. At the Asian Games held right after the World Cup, Lalremsiami won a silver medal. This made her the first sportsperson from Mizoram to win an Asian Medal.
11. During the FIH women's Series Finals, Lalremsiami lost her father. But she still chose to play as she believed her father wanted her to play and win for India. "That was the toughest moment of my life. Instead of going back, I decided to stay back and help the team win the knockout game to reach the final of the tournament. That's what my dad wanted for me, to represent India and to win a medal at the Olympics, and those matches were very important for us, in order to qualify for the marquee event. I wanted to make him proud, and I am pretty sure he would be proud of me today. But the job isn't done yet because I am yet to win a medal."
12. Her determination to play for her country and help her team members became an inspiration for others. Later she became the first women player in the country to win the FIH Rising Star of the year 2019 award.
13. She gave the credits to her team members for winning the award. She told, "I won the award because of the support I got from the entire team, so this award belongs to them as much as it's mine."