This hockey captain is allowing herself to lose to children
Rampal follows a workout routine as prescribed by scientific advisor Wayne Lombard.
By Maleeva Rebello, ET Bureau |
BCCL
Rani Rampal had a great start to 2020. The 25-year-old won the World Games Athlete of the Year award in January, the first hockey player to receive the honour. The hockey team she captains was also set to play in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics scheduled later in the year. Then came the Covid-19 pandemic.
For four months, Rampal and Co. were at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) campus in Bengaluru but following social distancing norms meant convent ional practice wasn’t possible. “It was difficult with no competition or training. The support staff at SAI made it a point to have one-on-one sessions with each player. We tried to re-focus our goals, used the time for match analysis and worked on areas that needed improvement,” Rampal recalls.
The homecoming
Last month, she returned home to Haryana’s Shahabad Markanda. The first thing Rampal did once quarantine ended was play with her five-year-old niece Mannat and 12-year-old nephew Mandeep. “They challenge me in some dribbling games and feel like big stars when they beat me at it. I also have two more nieces and time flies when I’m with them,” she adds. “I’m also drawing and colouring with them. I don’t remember doing these things when I was growing up. I’m now reliving my childhood with them.”
Work and play
Rampal follows a workout routine as prescribed by scientific advisor Wayne Lombard. “He monitors our workouts through a WhatsApp group,” she says, adding that she has also started yoga sessions.
She reveals that the teammates keep in touch and talk regularly, but not about hockey. “We chat about how we’re spending time at home, check up on each other and our families. We have a year before the Olympics, and we’re hopeful of competitions resuming soon,” Rampal adds.
For four months, Rampal and Co. were at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) campus in Bengaluru but following social distancing norms meant convent ional practice wasn’t possible. “It was difficult with no competition or training. The support staff at SAI made it a point to have one-on-one sessions with each player. We tried to re-focus our goals, used the time for match analysis and worked on areas that needed improvement,” Rampal recalls.
The homecoming
Last month, she returned home to Haryana’s Shahabad Markanda. The first thing Rampal did once quarantine ended was play with her five-year-old niece Mannat and 12-year-old nephew Mandeep. “They challenge me in some dribbling games and feel like big stars when they beat me at it. I also have two more nieces and time flies when I’m with them,” she adds. “I’m also drawing and colouring with them. I don’t remember doing these things when I was growing up. I’m now reliving my childhood with them.”
Work and play
Rampal follows a workout routine as prescribed by scientific advisor Wayne Lombard. “He monitors our workouts through a WhatsApp group,” she says, adding that she has also started yoga sessions.
She reveals that the teammates keep in touch and talk regularly, but not about hockey. “We chat about how we’re spending time at home, check up on each other and our families. We have a year before the Olympics, and we’re hopeful of competitions resuming soon,” Rampal adds.
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The summer of sport is in jeopardy. As the coronavirus pandemic spreads across the globe, organisers are cutting their losses and either cancelling or postponing marquee sporting events till the public health crisis abates.
The Tokyo Olympics have been postponed.
Here’s a roundup of all the major sporting events that have been upended by coronavirus.
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