Click it and Unblock the Notifications
Sporting Buzz
-
Who Won Yesterday's IPL Match 40? DC vs GT, IPL 2024 on April 24: Delhi Capitals Clinch High-Scoring Thriller At Kotla -
Olympics Selection Trails: Sift Kaur Samra, Niraj Kumar Shine In 3-Position Shooting -
DC vs GT IPL 2024: Rishabh Pant, Axar Patel star as Delhi Capitals beat Gujarat Titans by 4 runs in yet another high-scoring thriller -
IPL 2024: DC vs GT Award Winners, Man of The Match, Post-Match Presentation, Scorecard & Records -
DC vs GT IPL 2024: Why Shubman Gill Held Back Spinner R Sai Kishore Till 19th over? -
DC vs GT, IPL 2024: Was Prithvi Shaw Out? Fans Question Umpiring Level In IPL Following Controversial Catch -
UFC Vegas 91: Tim Means Ready To Go The Distance Against Fellow Southpaw Uros Medic -
T20 World Cup 2024: ICC Names Eight-time Olympic Gold Medallist Usain Bolt As Ambassador -
PAK vs NZ: Who is Haseebullah Khan? Learn All You Need To Know About Azam Khan's Replacement -
ICC T20I Rankings: Babar Azam slips, Mark Chapman-Shaheen Afridi move up; Suryakumar Yadav-Adil Rashid remain on top
Bengaluru, Sept. 15: Indian women's hockey team's experienced midfielder Namita Toppo announced her retirement on Thursday. The 27-year-old Namita, a product of the Sports Hostel, Panposh, Rourkela is a two-time Asian Games medallists.
Announcing her decision to retire, Topp said, "The last 10 years have definitely been the best years of my life. I had a dream to play for my country at the biggest stages and I am so happy that I have been able to achieve my dreams. I hope I have made a huge impact and I am very thrilled to see the way the Indian Women's Hockey Team has progressed in the last decade. I will keep cheering and supporting for the team while I move on to a new chapter in my life.
"I could not have achieved this without the support of my teammates, and Odisha State Government who have backed us unconditionally. They have recognised our achievements every step of the way. I thank the Chief Minister Shri Naveen Patnaik sir and the Departments of Sports and Youth Services. I also thank Hockey India, SAI and Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports for their unparalleled support for Women's Hockey. I also thank all the coaches I have trained under," said Toppo.
She first represented her state team in 2007 and her performances in the domestic competitions saw her getting selected for the Girls U-18 Hockey Asia Cup in Bangkok, Thailand held in 2011 where the Indian team won the Bronze Medal.
Toppo's hard work and dedication in the National Camps and consistent performances in the domestic circuit saw her getting selected to represent the Senior team in 2012 when she participated in the FIH Champions Challenge I in Dublin.
The following year, she was part of the Indian Junior Women's Hockey team which won the Bronze Medal at the FIH Hockey Junior World Cup Women 2013 held in Mönchengladbach, Germany.
There was no looking back for Namita since as she took part in major tournaments like FIH Women's World League Round 2 in 2013 where India won the Gold Medal, 3rd Women's Asian Champions Trophy in 2013 where India won the Silver Medal, 8th Women's Asia Cup 2013, 20th Commonwealth Games 2014, 17th Asian Games 2014 where India won the Bronze Medal, 2016 Rio Olympics, the team's Silver medal victory at the 9th Women's Asia Cup 2017 and the 18th Asian Games 2018 where the national team clinched the Silver Medal.
Meanwhile, the Indian Women's Hockey Team Chief Coach Janneke Schopman said, "Namita has a made a humungous contribution to Indian hockey. Apart from giving everything on the field, Namita has also been a perfect role-model for the youngsters in the team.
"Not many players get a chance to play 168 matches for their national teams and Namita has earned each one of those caps. Apart from being a great hockey player Toppo is one of the kindest people I know. She is very thoughtful and she always put the team first. I would like to wish her all the very best for the future."
Source: Hockey India
