FIH Rising Stars award a boost to my preparation for Tokyo Olympics: Laleremsiami

New Delhi [India], Feb 25 (ANI): Indian women hockey player Lalremsiami has said that 'FIH Rising Stars of the Year' award has motivated her to prepare well for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

"I wasn't expecting to win the award because there were some great players nominated for it. But when I received, it made me happy. I am grateful to God. I want to thank the Hockey India and FIH for their love and support. This award has encouraged me to prepare for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics," Lalremsiami told ANI.

Lalremsiami took the prize ahead of Argentina's Julieta Jankunas and Frederique Matla of the Netherlands.

Lalremsiami lost her father ahead of the semi-final clash against Chile in FIH Series tournament. Her father -- Lalthansanga Zote -- passed away due to a heart attack.

The 19-year-old hockey player said that losing father ahead of the clash was very emotional but "I decided to play for the team."

"It was during the semi-final -- just before the match, my father got expired. And that was a very difficult phase for me. Playing for my team was equally important. And I decided to play for the team," she said.

Lalremsiami said the players need to follow coach's instructions and should adhere to discipline both in and off the field.

"As a player, be it on the field or off the field, it is very important to maintain discipline. When we are in the field, we need to tell our desired structures to the coach. We need to follow that," she said.

Lalremsiami said that hockey has improved a lot in India but the government needs to provide more support to game in order to nurture young talent.

"Hockey has improved a lot in our country, but we need more support from the government. Very few people play hockey in my state of Mizoram because there is no hockey ground. If we would have more grounds, there will be more hockey players too. There should be at least two or three hockey grounds in our village," she added.