Vandana Katariya became the first Indian women’s hockey player to score a hat-trick in the Olympics as the team kept their quarterfinal hopes alive by beating South Africa in a tense match.
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The women’s hockey league match between India and South Africa was high stakes. South Africa were already out of contention, but India needed to win so that they could keep their hopes alive for the quarterfinal. It was a topsy-turvy encounter, with India taking the lead and then losing it to South Africa. However, there was one individual from Roshnabad, Haridwar who was determined to keep a 40-year dream alive for India in the Olympics. Vandana Katariya, who is one of the most experienced members of the Indian side, created history in the match.
Katariya became the first Indian player in history to have scored a hat-trick in the Olympics. It was a match that ebbed and flowed at regular intervals. Whenever India scored a goal, South Africa could level in the last few seconds of every quarter. It was repeated in three quarters. A draw would have meant that India’s chances were all but done. But, in the final few minutes of the fourth quarter, Vandana Katariya scored the hat-trick that sealed the game. Whenever India needed the opening, Katariya provided it.
It was Vandana Katariya who ensured India would not be denied. She had given India the lead twice, one through a penalty corner. When the match was tied 3-3, it seemed India’s hopes were over, But, Vandana Katariya kept the flame burning for India as she scored the hat-trick that gave India the win. If India go through the quarterfinal, it will be the first time since the 1980 Moscow Olympics that the hockey team would have qualified for the knockouts.
If India does qualify, then they will have to thank Vandana Katariya for the historic feat. The Indian player, who is one of the most experienced players on the Indian side along with Rani Rampal, has been in the Indian hockey scene for the last 15 years. Katariya has been making great waves ever since the
Katariya’s favorite moment came in the 2013 Junior World Cup in Moenchengladbach. In that tournament, Rani Rampal was also there as one of the key players. The bronze medal playoff match between India and England saw a tense encounter. Rani Rampal scored a goal but England equalized. The match went into penalties. Katariya, stepping up for the penalty shot, missed. But, India managed to win that match 3-2. The duo of Rampal and Katariya would be simply sensational and would give Indian hockey a tremendous boost in the coming years.
In the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, she won her 100th cap. Her prowess in the last couple of years has been such that even coach Roelant Oltmans labeled Vandana Katariya as one of the top forwards in the world. Her elevation to captain for the Test series against Australia was the culmination of her supreme performance.
In the last couple of years, Katariya has gone to represent India in 200 matches for India. In 2018, it was bittersweet. India settled for the silver in the Asian Games in Jakarta as they lost to Korea. But, in that same year, Vandana Katariya won the special milestone which put her in an elite league.
India women’s hockey has risen in the last couple of years due to the brilliance of Savita Punia, Vandana Katariya and Rani Rampal. These three individuals have ensured that India’s performances on the world stage has improved dramatically ever since the heartbreak of Moscow 1980.
41 years later, India hockey now stands on the threshold of repeating that glory. A medal might still be a far-fetched situation for them. They will have to overcome Australia, Netherlands and Germany to ensure they are even worthy of a medal. But, Vandana Katariya’s performance has shown that India women’s hockey team can be down but never out. Whenever they may be down, they will stage a fightback.
The hat-trick by Katariya is the boost that Indian hockey needs for their ‘Chak de India’ moment. The 2020 Tokyo Olympics might be the year that sees India register glory in hockey once again after the brilliance from 1928 to 1980.
