Pushpa Rana, who captained women’s kabaddi team that drubbed Iran 37-34 to retain the gold medal at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, on Monday credited the team’s success to hard work, teamwork and the guidance of coaches.
“We have been working hard for this for a long time, and succeeding gives us immense happiness. “Kabaddi is doing so well at the international level, and it feels good to see that. India is performing really well. We also request the state government and the chief minister to provide us jobs. We cannot express our happiness in words.”
We practised morning and evening and worked as a unit, which helped us achieve our goal,” Rana said. The last time we met the CM, he told us they were working on it,” she told the media. Jyoti Thakur said, “We face challenges from time to time, but our coaches keep motivating us.
Rana, along with teammates Jyoti Thakur and Bhavna Thakur, all from Himachal Pradesh, received a warm welcome upon their arrival at the Sports Authority of India’s (SAI) National Centre of Excellence in Dharamshala. All three have been associated with the centre. Another team member, Ritu Negi, also hails from Himachal and is serving with the Indian Railways. Our coaches and support staff helped us achieve this. Their achievement will motivate girls across the country. For upcoming players, we will continue to provide the best possible facilities at the centre.”
Bhavna Thakur, who made her Asian Games debut, said, “For a kabaddi player, the Asian Games is a dream.Years of hard work have paid off. JP Shani, assistant director of SAI’s National Centre of Excellence, Dharamshala, said, “It is a proud moment that three players from our centre were part of the gold medal-winning team.
