Surreal feeling to have scored the goal that sealed our Olympic qualification: Rani

A podium finish at the Tokyo Olympics is possible considering the long strides the Indian women's hockey team has taken in the last three years, asserted skipper Rani Rampal on Monday.

She is still relishing the "surreal experience" of securing India's passage into the 2020 Games with her decisive goal in the qualifier.

Rani scored the all-important goal during the recent clash against USA in the FIH Olympic Qualifiers in Odisha as India narrowly beat the visitors 6-5 on aggregate to book the ticket to Tokyo.

"I managed to keep my composure during the turn and finish. It was a surreal experience when I was hugging my teammates with joy," said Rani, recalling her goal.

"When I was stepping onto the field with just 15 minutes remaining, I was a little skeptical because I felt like we cannot let our hard work of three years come down to this. But when I finally got the ball inside the striking circle, I knew I had some space ahead of me, and I just focused on keeping possession and getting my basics right."
"We did not have a great tournament in Rio, but we got the experience of playing at an Olympic Games. Currently, we have 10 players in our squad who were a part of the team that participated in Rio, and with the huge improvements that we have made to our game since then, I am really confident of targeting a podium finish in Tokyo."