Savita Punia

Born on 11th July 1990 in Haryana; Savita Punia is an Indian field hockey player who firmly holds the position of a goalkeeper in the national squad and has proved to be invincible in many national events; crediting her team a series of successful wins. Initially, Savita was not much interested in sports, but she decided to pick up the sport after getting encouraged by her grandfather and joined the Sports Authority of India (SAI) at Hisar.

Achievements:

• Qualified for the national squad in 2007 at the age of 17.
• Participated as a member of the national team at the Junior Asia Cup of 2009.
• Made her international debut in 2011 and since then, she has appeared in more than 100 games.
• Significantly saved two crucial potential goals at the Eighth Women’s Asia Cup in 2013 and aided the team to bring a bronze medal for the nation.
• Played at her best as a member of the team that brought a bronze medal at the 2014 Incheon Asian Games.
• Helped the national team to qualify for the Rio Olympics in 2016 after 36 years.
• Saved a crucial goal in the final games against China at the Asia Cup of 2017 and aided the team to bag a gold medal along with earning the title "Goalkeeper of the Tournament" and a slot for her team to compete at the 2018 World Cup.
• Bagged a silver medal along with her team at the 2018 Asian Games, held in Jakarta.