India hockey star Vaishnavi Phalke achieves father’s dream

The Indian Women’s Hockey Team midfielder Vaishnavi Vitthal Phalke is originally from a small village named Asu in Satara, Maharashtra. Although her father is farmer by profession, was once a wrestler who participated in the regional wrestling competition ‘Kersari Kusthi’ in Maharashtra.
His dream of winning the competition was never fulfilled, but his passion for sports lives on through his daughter. “My father was a wrestler when he was young but he couldn’t make it to the big leagues so he invested in me and hoped I would play for the country. He sent me to Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex Balewadi, Pune in 2011 to pursue sports and after trying my hand at several games I decided to take up the hockey stick,” she said recounting her first steps as a hockey player. Vaishnavi Phalke spent her childhood away from home to fulfil her father’s dream of seeing her play hockey at the highest level. In 2017, she made her debut in the 7th Hockey India Sub-Junior Women’s National Championship held in Ramanathapuram, where her tenacity in the midfield caught the eye of the
selectors.
She was subsequently called up to the Junior Women’s Squad in 2019 after her stellar performance in the 9th Hockey India Junior Women National Championship.
“My father always encourages me to give my best, and I remember he was really happy when I went on my first international tour as a senior. When he found out I made the squad for the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022, his happiness was tenfold.
This will be my first major tournament in the senior squad, and I am over the moon to make my father’s dream come true. It is a big platform, and I am looking forward to showing my skills on the pitch,” she elaborated on her feelings after making it into the Indian squad. So far, Vaishnavi has donned the Indian jersey on six occasions and netted one goal. She was also a member of the Junior Indian Women’s Hockey Team that won the Women’s Junior Asia Cup earlier this year in Kakamigahara, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. “We have been playing a lot of practice matches in the build-up, along with some hard practice sessions. The whole team has a positive disposition going into training, and my teammates keep encouraging me. They always remind me that if we make a mistake, we are the ones who can make amends,” she commented on preparations for the 19th Asian Games.