MUMBAI: Hailing from Roshnabad in Uttarakhand’s Haridwar district, Vandana Katariya (29) made her first junior international debut at the age of 14 in 2006.
There has been no looking back since, and she recently earned the distinction of being the first women’s hockey player to score a hat-trick at the Olympics. Today, she is elated to be among those who will receive the prestigious Arjuna award from President Ramnath Kovind.
Her colleague in Central Railway, Monika Malik, who represented India at the 2014 Asian Games and was part of the bronze-medal winning squad, has been chosen for the award too.
The two were part of the Indian women’s hockey team that played fabulously in Tokyo Olympics 2020 to secure a place in the semi-finals.
Central Railway is excited for its two staffers too. CR general manager Anil Kumar Lahoti said, “CR always encourages its sportspersons to set high standards. And we are indeed proud of these two hockey players achieving such great heights.”
Both Katariya and Malik, who worked as head TCs, Mumbai division of CR, were recently promoted as officers on special duty. “Katariya speedily scored the hat-trick in the match against South Africa. Her contribution was instrumental in taking India to the semi-finals,” said an official. Katariya plays as a forward in the national team. She rose to prominence in 2013, being India’s top goal-scorer in the women’s hockey junior world cup where the team clinched the bronze. Katariya scored five goals in that tournament.
She has played for the senior national team in several international matches. She was a part of the Indian team that won a bronze medal at the 2014 Asian Games and represented India at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
“Malik was part of the Indian women’s hockey team that played fabulously in Tokyo Olympics 2020 to secure a place in the semi-finals,” said an official. She made her second consecutive Olympics appearance after Rio Olympics 2016.
Although India did not win a hockey medal at the Olympics, the players were glad that Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to the team after the match. The team also received a grand reception on their arrival in India.
