Sports minister felicitates MP’s junior hockey team for national c’ship win

Bhopal: The sports department hosted a celebratory function for the the hockey team and coaches who had helped Madhya Pradesh win the women’s junior hockey national championship.The team was honored by sports minister Yashodhara Raje Scindia, who presented them with a citation and an incentive amount of Rs 11.8 lakh. Previously, the junior men's team was also acknowledged for their triumph in this year's national championship.Each of the 18 players received Rs 50,000 while the chief coach was awarded Rs 1 lakh. The two assistant coaches and four support staff members were each given Rs 50,000 and Rs 20,000, respectively.Congratulating the players, Scindia expressed her pride in team’s achievement. “Our players have demonstrated their excellent skills, along with the strategic game plans of the coaches. Both the men's and women's teams from our state have secured the hockey junior national trophy. Encouragement and respect for the players will inspire them to tackle more challenging situations,” the sports minister said. The Madhya Pradesh women's hockey team clinched the championship title by defeating Jharkhand 1-0 in the final of the 13th Hockey India junior women's national championship. The team emerged victorious in their first match in Pool-E, triumphing over Puducherry with a score of 25-0. They also defeated Jammu and Kashmir 21-0 and Karnataka 7-1 in the quarter-finals and semi-finals respectively, before reaching the final with a 9-0 victory over Maharashtra.The team members include Yogita Verma, Nirupama Devi, Priyanka Yadav, Ashrita Thakur, Rityana Sahu, Bhumiksha Sahu, Yashika Bhadauria, Sonia Kumre, Jyoti Singh, Lovedeep Kaur, Gurmail Kaur, Parineeti Kaur, Sonia Devi, Sonam, Kartika Kashyap, Ritika Vishwakarma, Salini Ali, and Visakha Likhkar. The coaching staff consists of head coach Paramjit Singh, assistant coaches Neha Rawat and Vandana Uikey, manager Raina Yadav, physiotherapist Umesh Kumar, psychologist Bhavna Chauhan, and strength and conditioning expert Vijay Vignesh.The men's junior hockey team of Madhya Pradesh also received the same incentive amount in recognition of their achievements. Scindia met with the chief coach of the men's team, Olympian Sameer Dad, and conveyed her well wishes to all the team members for their remarkable performance.