DEHRADUN: Residents of Roshanabad village of Haridwar district now hope to get better roads, drinking water and other facilities. Reason - Vandana Kataria, the Indian women's hockey forward, who struck a hattrick in Tokyo Olympics on Saturday, is one among them.
Soon after Kataria struck the hattrick in Tokyo, officials from the district administration of Haridwar rushed to the village to meet and congratulate the family members.
It was after 37 years that any Indian player struck a hattrick in hockey in the Olympics on Saturday. She also became the first woman hockey player from India to achieve the feat.
"Bad roads are the chronic problem of the village along with unavailability of clean drinking water. I hope now these issues will be resolved and our village will get these basic things," Lakhan Kataria, brother of the Olympian said.
Residents of the village also added that schooling and medical faculties are also an issue with the nearest government hospital being at least 15kms in Haridwar and then another around 30kms in Roorkee.
Though Vandana had moved to Meerut in 2003 after being spotted by her coach Pardeep Chinyoti, the residents of the village call her 'Daughter of Uttarakhand'. They remember how Vandana used to practice her moves in stealth as many in her family and neighbourhood disapproved of her love for sports except her father Nahar Singh. He passed away in May this year when she was preparing for the Olympics in Bengaluru.
Vandana had said then, "I have to do something for my country and my father."
The residents of the village burst into celebrations after news of her hattrick reached them.
Abhishek Kumar, a resident of the village said, "Early days were full of struggle for her as no one supported her other than her father. She used to practice secretly with boys hockey team members in a nearby stadium due to fear of her being spotted. It was oy after she worked hard beyond anyone's imagination and became a name to reckon with, people starting appreciating her."
With 8 siblings Vandana had a tough childhood but got through her sheer will and hard work said her family members.
"She has been one not to give up under any circumstances. We have always been in awe about how she manages to perform so well under pressure," says Soran Devi, her mother.
The forward of the team has many feats to her name including 67 goals in 245 international appearances helping Indian win gold in Asian Champions Trophy, silver in Asian Games, bronze in the junior World Cup amongst others.