Savita remembers how her in-laws helped her succeed after winning Hockey highest honour of India

Honoring the Player of the Year (Women) and Goalkeeper of the Year awards during the Hockey India Annual Awards, veteran India women's national captain Savita considers the awards as a dedication to the people in her life who supported her to attain this achievement.

On winning the Hockey India Balbir Singh Senior Award for Player of the Year for the third time, Savita said, "It feels great. There have been so many great performances this year, I did not expect to win. All athletes love to be recognized for their efforts, and I am grateful for the award."

While receiving the honor, Savita credited the support of her team. “Within the team, we all support each other and cheer for each other’s success. None of us can achieve anything without the support of the team, so without them, none of this would have been possible.”

While Savita was unable to attend the awards ceremony in person this year, she watched the event live from Toronto, Canada with her in-laws. She dedicated the award to them and acknowledged their encouragement. “My husband and his family have been very supportive of hockey. A lot of athletes feel the pressure to stop playing after marriage, but they encouraged me and enabled me to give my best for the Indian team. I feel I am fortunate to have their support.”

Reflecting on the Goalkeeper of the Year award, Savita highlighted the dedication she has to excel in her role. “There is a lot of hard work behind the scenes. Behind every stop, there are hours of training on footwork, agility, reflexes, and positioning. The coaches have also worked very hard to help me with my game.”

The past year has been particularly eventful for Savita, with one of the highlights being the Hero Hockey India League, where she led the Surma Hockey Club. “Hockey India fulfilled its promise of hosting the Hero Hockey India League for Women, and we are all very grateful for that. We really enjoyed the tournament, and it also helped us improve our individual skills.”

Savita's awards also comprised huge cash awards – Rs 25,00,000 for the Hockey India Balbir Singh Senior Award for Player of the Year (Women) and Rs 5,00,000 for the Hockey India Baljit Singh Award for Goalkeeper of the Year.

Underlining the significance of these awards, she said, “In the initial years, we did not believe that we could get such a huge amount. Yes, it is about recognition, but it also empowers us to take care of our family and loved ones and do something for them. I don’t think there are many sports in India where women get such opportunities.”

Looking ahead, Savita's focus is on next year's World Cup, as well as the upcoming round of the FIH Women's Pro League. "When the country does so much to recognise and reward us, it is our duty to give our best towards them and the country. With awards comes a sense of responsibility."

Talking about India's recent performances, she said, "I think we had some great performances in the recent round of the FIH Women's Pro League in Bhubaneswar. Beating the Netherlands in a shootout was a big win for us and I consider it our best performance of the year. So hopefully, we can do even better going forward."