CHENNAI: Amit Rohidas has seen multiple ups and downs in Indian hockey. The Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist spoke with The New Indian Express about the Asian Champions Trophy triumph, his journey so far, the support of the Odisha government and more.
Excerpts:
On ACT glory
Playing in the ACT was vital for us because we got the opportunity to get some practice ahead of the Asian Games. We got the opportunity to learn and see how our opponents for the Asian Games were playing. And it helped us prepare better. Since our loss in the 2018 Asian Games, the motto was clear: we don't repeat the same mistakes and win the gold medal in the Asian Games and directly qualify for the Olympics. We have time till the Olympics, so we want to prepare ourselves better through Pro League and other tournaments.
On Tokyo 2020 medal
Not making the direct qualification for the Tokyo 2020 via Asian Games 2018 was heartbreaking. So once we qualified for the Olympics via the long route, during the COVID times before the Olympics, we didn't even go home from the camp and kept preparing ourselves for the Olympics and we aimed to have a podium finish. There was no crowd in Tokyo, we were playing on empty grounds, but we knew that the entire India was supporting us. I think we felt that blessing and we won the Bronze medal. Now that we have qualified directly, we are hoping to have another podium finish in Paris.
On his personal journey:
All the players who have played hockey for India have faced some or other problems at some level. I myself was out of the team for almost three years. I have worked hard to make a comeback in the national camp. I kept performing and never lost the hope of making a comeback. And I made a comeback in 2017, since then I have played continuously for India. It has been a challenging journey for me because it's very hard to make a space for yourself in the team, once you are out of it. I have to thank my friends and family for believing in me.
On the senior nationals
It was a great decision by Hockey India to involve all the senior players in the senior national tournament. It is a really good feeling to represent our respective states after a long time in the senior nationals. It is a great opportunity for the young players to gain some experience from the seniors. The coaching staff also gets a lot of energy after having senior players in their squad.
On Odisha Government's support
Odisha helped hockey when it was going down in India. Odisha stood by the game and lifted it to what it is right now. The state has hosted many tournaments and the crowd is also very supportive. It helps us a lot.