Bengaluru
Indian hockey player Sonika received a heartwarming send-off at the Sunehra Safar ceremony hosted by Hockey India. During the event, Sonika was surprised when her mother presented her with the India jersey ahead of the Hangzhou Asian Games, scheduled for September 23 to October 8. The 26-year-old midfielder from Hisar, Haryana, expressed her gratitude and emotions, saying, It was truly a special moment, especially to receive the jersey in front of a big audience which included all my teammates. Those few minutes on the stage brought back all the memories of my struggle and facing challenges to get here, and my mother has been equally part of this journey – always supporting me at every crucial juncture. Sonika made her senior team debut at the Hawke’s Bay Cup in New Zealand in 2016 and was part of the team that won the Gold medal at the Women’s Asia Cup in 2017. However, her career faced a setback in 2020 due to personal challenges and the COVID-19 pandemic. She had to leave the National Camp to seek professional help to improve her mental wellbeing. Reflecting on this period, she said, Covid lockdown was not kind to me. It was a tough phase personally, and I am so glad that my struggle to stay strong mentally through this phase was recognized very early on by the team management, and I was provided with professional help. After making a comeback in the national team in 2021/22 at the FIH Hockey Pro League, Sonika has seen her career flourish. She played a pivotal role in India’s historic Bronze medal win at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and contributed to the team’s victory at the FIH Nations Cup 2022. Her journey continues with the upcoming Hangzhou Asian Games, where she aims to make her country proud.
