Former India hockey captain Rani Rampal announces retirement | Hockey News
Former India women’s team captain Rani Rampal on Thursday announced her retirement, marking an end of a 16-year-old career.
Hailing from a small town in Haryana, the 29-year-old hockey player had lead the women’s team to their best ever finish at an Olympics, coming fourth in the Tokyo Games in 2021.
She has also helped the team win a Junior World Cup medal, Asian Cup, and was one of the key reasons why India could qualify for the back-to-back Olympics for the first time.
An era of excellence comes to an end! 🇮🇳🏑
Today, we bid farewell to the one and only Rani Rampal, an icon who has defined Indian hockey for over a decade. From leading India to countless victories to being an inspiration for aspiring athletes across the country, Rani’s legacy… pic.twitter.com/TRer76L8Li
— Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) October 24, 2024
She made her international debut in 2008 and has scored 205 goals for India in 254 appearances. She was also honoured the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award in 2020 and was also a recipient of the Padma Shri, the country’s fourth highest civilian award, in the same year.
“An era of excellence comes to an end! Today, we bid farewell to the one and only Rani Rampal, an icon who has defined Indian hockey for over a decade. From leading India to countless victories to being an inspiration for aspiring athletes across the country, Rani’s legacy will forever shine. Thank you, Rani, for your unmatched dedication, leadership, and passion. You’ve paved the way for the next generation, and your impact on Indian hockey will be felt for years to come,” Hockey India posted on X.
Since early 2023, however, she hasn’t played for the country after she was sidelined the then coach Janneke Schopman back in 2022. The coach has said that the decision was taken for the team as a whole while Rani had expressed her disappointment for not being given a clear reason for her exclusion.
“Whatever happened with me in the last two years wasn’t right. I came back from an injury, was the top scorer at the National Games but wasn’t picked. The best person who can answer this is the Chief Coach or the selectors because I don’t know the answer,” the player had said.
Rani was also recently roped in as the national coach for sub-junior women players.
