Unarmed combat training, endurance runs and boat pulling were some of the elements of a first-ever “transformative training camp” that the national women’s hockey team underwent recently at the Indian Naval Academy (INA), aimed at making the side mentally stronger, and more disciplined. The unique camp was held at the INA in Kannur, Kerala, from July 15 to 21. The women’s hockey team is currently in a rebuilding phase after the heartbreak of failing to qualify for this month’s Paris Olympics. “This transformative camp, conducted in the disciplined environment of the INA, aimed to enhance the team’s skills and foster a spirit of unity and resilience,” stated a press release from Hockey India.

The camp, it is said, was designed to instill key values such as “team building, mental strengthening, risk capabilities, discipline, self-defence, survival techniques, and leadership skills.” Speaking about it, chief coach Harendra Singh said, “The Academy’s dedication to mental strengthening and team bonding has transformed these young athletes into more competitive and resilient individuals.” “Under the guidance of exemplary officers, our players have undergone rigorous training that will benefit them not only in hockey but in all aspects of their lives.” He said the demanding drills pushed the players “beyond their limits”.

“The skills and discipline they have acquired here are invaluable. This experience has undoubtedly prepared our team to face any challenge on and off the field with renewed confidence and determination,” he hoped.

Hockey India said the camp’s structured routines enhanced focus and commitment.

A friendly match was conducted between the academy’s hockey team and the Indian side, followed by an interactive session with INA cadets.

Deputy Commandant Indian Naval Academy Rear Admiral Prakash Gopalan said, “This training camp was designed to provide them with a holistic development experience, focusing on mental toughness, discipline, and leadership.

“The athletes engaged in various activities that tested their limits and encouraged them to work as a cohesive unit. It was inspiring to see their dedication and resilience throughout the camp.

“We are confident that the skills and values they have acquired here will serve them well in their future endeavours, both in sports and in life.” The activities at the camp included boat pulling, which “emphasised unity, cooperation, and perseverance” as team members synchronised their efforts to pull the boat, fostering resilience and adaptability.

Similarly, navigating an obstacle course and taking part in endurance runs, promoted strategic thinking, solidarity, and strategic planning.

The unarmed combat drills were designed to instill confidence, self-defence skills, and empowerment among the team members.

A naval drill was also a part of the exercise meant to promote discipline, coordination, and operational readiness.

A detailed day-wise activity program was provided and posted on the main notice board of the team’s accommodation during the camp.

“…Lt. Hari Prakasam V M coordinated and liaised all activities. Also, a specially designed uniform for the camp was issued to all players and coaches upon arrival at INA, which is set against the backdrop of Ezhimala’s seven hills,” Hockey India stated. 

It’s often said that finishing fourth in the Olympics is peak agony. If coming last carries the sting of embarrassment, securing the fourth place inflicts the pain of being so near yet so far, something that can either drive an athlete to future glory or leave them completely crushed. India’s affair with near misses at sport’s grandest stage has been a long-standing one, beginning way back in 1956. Here is a look at the instances when Indian athletes came close but ended at just that.

1956, Melbourne: Football

The Indian football team made the semifinals after beating hosts Australia 4-2 in the quarterfinals, with Neville D’Souza becoming the first Asian to score a hat-trick at the Games.

By giving his team the lead, Neville looked like doing an encore in the last-four clash against Yugoslavia. But the Yugoslavians came back strongly in the second half to seal the contest in their favour.

In the bronze medal classification match, India lost to Bulgaria 0-3, drawing to a close an eventful few days which the great P K Banerjee would often reminisce with a hint of understandable anguish.

1960, Rome: Athletics

The legendary Milkha Singh missed out on a bronze by the narrowest of margins.

Competing in the 400m final and touted as a medal contender, the ‘Flying Sikh’ fell short by a mere 1/10th of a second after slowing down to steal a glance at his fellow competitors, an error that he would regret for the rest of his life.

This would go down as his worst memory after losing his parents in the aftermath of the partition.

Milkha almost gave up the sport after this loss and it required a lot of persuasion for him to hit the track again and win two gold medals in the 1962 Asian Games.

1980, Moscow: Women’s Hockey

With top hockey nations such as the Netherlands, Australia and Great Britain boycotting the Moscow Games over the USSR’s invasion of Afghanistan, the Indian women’s hockey team had a great chance to finish on the podium in its first attempt itself.

But the team endured the agony of narrowly missing out on a medal, losing its last match to erstwhile USSR 1-3 to finish behind Zimbabwe, Czechoslovakia and the hosts.

1984, Los Angeles: Athletics

LA Olympics brought back memories of Milkha in Rome when PT Usha missed the 400m hurdles bronze by 1/100th of a second, making it the closest-ever miss for an Indian athlete in any competition.

Known as the ‘Payyoli Express’, she ended fourth behind Romania’s Christina Cojocaru, but her heroic effort left a lasting impression and she became a household name.

2004, Athens: Tennis

After a long gap of 20 years, the curse of the fourth place returned to haunt the Indian contingent when the celebrated duo of Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi missed out on the podium at the Athens Games.

Arguably India’s greatest doubles pair in tennis, Paes and Bhupathi missed out on a bronze medal after losing a marathon match to Croatia’s Mario Ancic and Ivan Ljubicic 6-7 6-4 14-16 to end fourth.

Before that, the Indian pair went into the semifinals as favourites but lost to the German duo of Nicholas Kiefer and Rainer Schuttler in straight sets 2-6 3-6.

At the same Games, Kunjarani Devi finished fourth in women’s 48kg weightlifting competition, but she was not really in medal contention.

Disqualified in her final attempt to lift 112.5 kg in the clean and jerk category, Kunjarani finished with a total effort of 190kg, 10kg behind bronze-medallist Thailand’s Aree Wiratthaworn.

2012, London: Shooting

Shooter Joydeep Karmakar experienced the terrible feeling of finishing a place behind the bronze medal winner in this edition.

Karmakar had finished seventh in the qualification round of men’s 50m rifle prone event, and in the finals, he ended just 1.9 points behind the bronze medal winner.

2016, Rio de Janeiro: Gymnastics

Gymnast Dipa Karmakar became the first Indian woman gymnast to compete at the Games. After making the final of the women’s vault event, she finished fourth overall with a score of 15.066 and missed the bronze medal by 0.150 points.

She introduced the sport to India and gave the message that one doesn’t have to be born in the USA or Russia to become an excellent gymnast.

At the same Games, Abhinav Bindra’s illustrious career was headed for a fairytale finish but a shooter of even his class was not spared of the curse of the fourth, as he missed the bronze medal by a whisker, eight years after his historic gold medal at the Beijing Games.

2020, Tokyo: Women’s Hockey

A little more than four decades after the 1980 Moscow Games, the members of the Indian women’s hockey team once again endured a similar pain at the Tokyo Olympics, missing out on the bronze.

The Indian side punched above its weight triggering an upset to knock three-time Olympic champions Australia to make the semifinal.

In the semifinals, they suffered a 0-1 defeat to Argentina but still had a shot at the bronze. They looked on course to win the elusive medal as Rani Rampal and Co. took a 3-2 lead against Great Britain.

But Britain scored twice to go up 4-3 and clinch the medal, leaving the Indian team in tears.

At the same Games, golfer Aditi Ashok also experienced the agony of missing out on a historic podium finish.

Ranked 200th in the world, the 26-year-old matched the best golfers in the world shot for shot. But, she eventually fell short after coming agonisingly close and finished fourth.

File image of Sharmila Devi.© X (Twitter)

The Indian junior women’s hockey team lost 4-6 to Germany in its fifth match of their tour of Europe on Monday. However, after conceding six goals, India rallied to score four goals and asserted themselves in the second half of the match. Sanjana Horo, Bhinima Dan and Kanika Siwach scored for India. Like their previous match, Germany scored early in the first quarter and doubled their lead soon after. Despite trailing, the Indian defence did well to successfully defend multiple penalty corners. In the final minutes of the first quarter, India won a penalty corner but the scoreline remained 2-0, in favour of Germany.

India began the second quarter on a positive note but failed to find the back of the opposition net.

Germany struck their third goal soon to put themselves in a dominant position at half-time.

Germany continued to assert themselves in the third quarter, scoring thrice, including a successful penalty corner conversion to take a commanding 6-0 lead.

But India fought back and scored their first goal when Sanjana Horo sounded the board late in the quarter.

India turned up the pressure on Germany in the final quarter. Sanjana Horo scored India’s second goal before Binima Dhan and Kanika Siwach found the opposition net to reduce the margin to 4-6.

On Sunday, the Indians lost 0-1 to Germany in their fourth match.

India had a challenging first quarter as Germany broke the deadlock early match to take a 1-0 lead.

A goalless second and third quarter unfolded, ensuring Germany stayed ahead, even as India worked hard to score an equalizer.

In the final quarter, Germany nearly doubled their lead, but their penalty stroke was denied by India’s goalkeeper.

With minutes left on the clock, India’s final opportunity of the match came in the form of a penalty corner, but they failed to convert it and conceded a 0-1 defeat to Germany.

India will play their next match against Dutch club side Oranje Rood in Breda, Netherlands on May 29.

The Indian women’s hockey team continued its winless streak in the Belgium leg of the FIH Pro League, slumping to 0-3 defeat against Argentina on Sunday. Celina Di Santo (1st minute), Maria Campoy (39th) and Maria Granatto (47th) scored for Argentina in India’s final match of the Belgium leg. Argentina stormed ahead in the very first minute, dissecting the Indian high press and penetrating to the shooting circle, where Di Santo deflected in Granatto’s shot to score their first goal. As India struggled to play out of their half, a period of Argentinian dominance followed, resulting in a penalty corner eight minutes into the game, but they failed to extend their lead.

India began stringing a few passes together and got into the game. They forced Argentine goalkeeper Clara Barberi into action after a low drive into the circle from Udita found Lalremsiami, who failed to score from close range.

Argentina regained control of the proceedings in the second quarter, earning a slurry of penalty corners but an alert duo of Bichu Devi Kharibam and Salima Tete helped keep the ball out of the nets.

A rare Indian foray into the shooting circle resulted in a penalty corner but Deepika’s drag flick was comfortably kept out.

Argentina pressed hard in the rest of the quarter but the Indian defence held firm to keep the scoreline 0-1 heading into the second half.

India earned a penalty corner early in the third quarter but failed to create a goal scoring opportunity.

Argentina made a breakthrough in the 39th minute, as Campoy picked up the ball on the left wing and bulldozed into the circle, dodging a few challenges and slotting it past Savita Punia to double their lead.

India had a chance to score in the last minute of the quarter but Navneet Kaur’s tomahawk was saved by Barberi.

Argentina earned a penalty corner as soon as the final quarter began and Granatto directed Agustina Gorzelany’s flick over Savita into goal to increase their lead.

Argentina stepped up the intensity after the goal and pegged India back, creating multiple chances through Granatto but a resilient Indian backline managed to thwart any further advances.

The Indian women’s hockey team will now take on Germany in its next match at London on June 1.