Agonisingly falling short at the Tokyo Olympics 2021, India hockey captain Savita Punia is looking to fulfill the nation's dream of an Olympic medal in the upcoming Paris Games. Punia will be leading India's challenge in the upcoming Asian Games, which serve as the qualification for the Olympics. The team is placed in Pool A of the Asian tournament, which will be held in Hangzhou, China.
India went down to England in the Bronze-medal match by 3-4 but stunned many people with their terrific campaign in Tokyo. Punia acknowledged that the expectations would be high this time. "Expectations are high this time after our performance in Tokyo. We will leave no stone unturned to fulfill the dream of an Olympic medal," Punia said in an Interview with PTI.
Punia's long-distance relationship with her husband
The Indian goal-saver got married in early April but had to join the national camp days after tying the knot. "I got married on April 5 but joined the national camp five days after my marriage. I have hardly a week with my new family since then. Skipped the honeymoon and now it (honeymoon) will happen only after next year's Olympics only," she added.
The 33-year-old lives a very disciplined life in terms of daily routine and hardly gets any time to talk to her life partner. "I get up early in the morning as we have practice sessions. My husband is in Canada so time zones are different. Sometimes I have many things to share with him but I have decided to switch my phone off by 10.30 pm. I tell him to stop me if I keep on talking beyond that," she said.
Punia's mother-in-law was also a sportsperson. The Indian captain added that her mother-in-law is supportive. "My mother-in-law is very supportive and says marriage should not affect my dream to win an Olympic medal for the country. She was a talented athlete herself and understood me very well. I am very lucky to have a supportive and understanding family," she said
