Indian women hockey team captain Rani Rampal hogged the limelight after leading India's women hockey team at Tokyo Olympics 2021. Rani's team stood fourth in the competition but she won the hearts of the people of India by her exemplary leadership. Her journey from the daughter of a poor cart-puller to the captain of the national hockey team is truly inspirational and praiseworthy. She crossed all the hurdles that came in her way to success with sheer determination and perseverance.
Born in Shahabad Markanda in the Kurukshetra district of Haryana, Rampal has seen the struggles for living. She was the youngest of the three siblings and began playing hockey in Class 5 after watching girls her age playing in a field near her school. Her mother, Ram Murti, 53, noted that her daughter had the tenacity that had gotten her this far.
By the age of six, she was a member of her town's hockey team. Her abilities were questioned initially, but she eventually displayed her potential to her instructor. In 2003, she began playing field hockey and trained at the Shahabad Hockey Academy under Baldev Singh, a Dronacharya Award winner. She competed in Junior Nationals in Gwalior and School Nationals in Chandigarh before being inducted into the national squad. She made her senior year debut at the age of 14, making her the Indian Women Hockey team's youngest player.
Rani won the Champion's Challenge Tournament in Kazan, Russia in June 2009, scoring four goals in the finals to lead India to victory. She was named the Top Goal Scorer and Young Player of the Tournament. She played a key role in the Indian team's silver medal performance in the Asia Cup in November 2009.
Rani Rampal was named to the Federation International Hockey (FIH) Women's All-Star Team in 2010 after representing India at the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games in 2010. She was nominated for the"young lady player of the year" award.
At the 2010 Women’s Hockey World Cup held in Rosario, Argentina, she scored seven goals which placed India at the ninth position in the World Women's hockey rankings. This became India's best performance since 1978. She is the only Indian to be nominated for the FIH Women's Young Player of the Year Award, 2010. She was awarded the "Best Young Player of the Tournament" award at the Women's Hockey World Cup 2010, recognizing her stellar performance as the top field goal scorer at the tournament. She was awarded the Arjuna award in 2016 which was one of her dreams come true.
As a hockey player, Rani Rampal has scored 134 goals in 212 international appearances so far. She has got wide recognition for being a striker who frequently doubles as a midfielder. She has been completely enthralled by the Commonwealth Games.
Rani Rampal was felicitated for her efforts with the 'Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna' award in 2020, coupled with the fourth highest Indian national honour 'Padma Shree' in the same year.
