Playing for India has changed my life, just want to keep performing, says Salima Tete

New Delhi [India], April 17 (ANI): In recent years, the Indian women's hockey team has gone on to become a memorable part of the country's sporting history. Often considered underdogs at the highest level, the Indian women's hockey team has consistently punched well above their weight, giving the fans plenty to cheer about.

Salima Tete, one of the Indian team's younger players, has been instrumental in the team's success stories over the last half-decade and hopes to be a part of many more moments of glory.

Salima Tete was recently named Asia's emerging player by the Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) and the AHF announced her as the Athlete Ambassador of the Asian Continent.

Talking to ANI about the honour, Salima expressed gratitude to the Asian Hockey Federation and also praised her team members for their constant support.

"I sincerely thank the Asian Hockey Federation for recognising the hard work that we have done on the ground over the years," Salima told ANI.

"But this journey would not have been possible without the constant support that I have received from my teammates and the coaching staff who have always given me the confidence to play according to my strengths and have given me the freedom to express myself. I hope to continue to perform in a similar fashion in the years to come," she added.

Salima began playing the sport on grass as a child, and one of the highlights of her career thus far has been India's fourth-place finish at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. While this has helped the athlete, Salima says it has also ensured that her village has better training facilities and is no longer hidden from the spotlight.

"Before the Tokyo Olympics, no one knew about our village and after I came back, the focus on our native place increased a lot. We have people visiting us from different places, people recognising the village I come from. It is really heart-warming. Even my family feels very good when people come to visit. The whole atmosphere has changed and it makes me very happy," Tete said.

"Playing for India has really changed my life a lot, it has given me everything I could have asked for. I just want to keep performing for the country and winning more matches," she added.

Salima has been an integral part of the Indian team set-up over the past couple of years and was named the Rising Player of the Tournament at the Women's Asia Cup 2022 tournament that took place in Muscat in January last year.

Salima was part of the Indian Senior Women's Hockey Team that finished in the fourth position at the Tokyo Olympics and then went on to be a part of the FIH Hockey Women's Junior World Cup 2021, Potchefstroom, South Africa team that also attained the 4th position. The midfielder also played a key role for the Indian team that attained a third-place finish in the FIH Women's Hockey Pro League 2021/22 before helping the Indian team clinched the Bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham.

Rolling back the clock by a few years, Salima threw some light on her journey and spoke fondly about the people who have been influential mentors in her career.

"I came to hockey through the junior nationals and I had a role model in Asunta Lakra. I wanted to become like her, when I saw her playing, I felt that if she can do it, so can I. Nikki Pradhan's a very important figure in my development and has always had enough time for me," said the Indian hockey player.

"My family too is very supportive and they don't think of the difficulties. My family, my parents and siblings are very supportive. The outlook for them is that we should do well irrespective of everything. We want to be the best version of ourselves," Salima recollected.

Salima was also a crucial member of the Indian team that won the Gold medal at the FIH Hockey Women's Nations Cup Spain 2022. (ANI)