Published 23:17 IST, June 26th 2019
Netizens hail this Indian hockey player as she continued to play in the FIH Series finals hockey tournament despite her father's demise
Hockey player Lalremsiami, who was part of the team which won the FIH Series Finals hockey tournament in Hiroshima on Sunday. Stayed with her team in Japan for the finals even after hearing the unfortunate news of the loss of her father due to a heart attack.
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Hockey player Lalremsiami, who was part of the team which won the FIH Series Finals hockey tournament in Hiroshima on Sunday, showed her dedication to her team by staying with her team in Japan even after hearing the unfortunate news of the loss of her father due to a heart attack.
Since Lalremiami is an integral part of the team and the team was scheduled to play the semi-finals which would decide whether they would get to participate in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics qualifiers or not; her presence on the field was really important.
Even after the team's head coach, Sjoerd Marijne had given Lalremsiami the opinion of going back to Mizoram, she decided to stay back to make sure that the team put their best foot forward in the Semis and finals. The player told her coach that she wants to make her father proud and that she wants to stay, play and make sure that the team qualifies for 2020 Tokyo Olympics qualifiers.
The young forward, who is called 'Siami' by her teammates, played part in India defeating Chile 4-2, the victory not only sent the team into the final but also booked a spot for India in the FIH Olympic qualifiers. Post the win every player of the team went and hugged Siami after the match.
"It is not easy to deal with a big loss at such a young age. And even though she didn't score, she gave everything for the team. Indians should be proud of Siami,” Marijne said.
“I told her that if it gets too emotional at any time during the match, just tell me and if you want step out, you step out. But she wanted to play on,” he added.
Never experienced anything like this as a team before, the tragic news motivated all the other players to fight harder on the field and put their best foot forward.
Captain Rani told FIH after the match: “This match is dedicated to her father, so that he can be in peace in heaven. We are so proud of her she was with the team and didn't fly back home.”
Marijne believes this will only motivate the team to go on and win the tournament on Sunday.
“It has given us something extra to fight. The girls are more connected, motivated and are staying together as a family in these tough times. When they see Siami now, every player wants to work that extra bit harder to win the title,” he said.
13:14 IST, June 26th 2019