Veteran Indian women's hockey team goalkeeper Savita Punia contemplated retirement last year, but the new coaching setup under Sjoerd Marijne rekindled her passion for the game.
Following a remarkable turnaround this season, she now believes that an elusive Olympic medal is within India's reach at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
Savita made a crucial save from a penalty stroke against China in the final to help India win a historic gold medal in women's hockey at the Asian Games after 44 years.
The gold medal also secured India's direct qualification for the Los Angeles Olympics.
"We achieved a historic fifth-place finish at the World Cup this year. We won gold at the Asian Games after 44 years, and I feel that a medal at the Los Angeles Olympics is now within reach," Savita said in an interview at the PTI office in New Delhi.
"My dream is to finish on the Olympic podium, and I am fully prepared for Los Angeles. I am sure the regret of Tokyo will be erased there."
Savita revealed that she had informed Hockey India of her decision to retire last year, but the federation did not accept it and convinced her to continue playing.
"I mailed Hockey India last year, saying that I no longer wanted to play, but the federation stopped me from retiring. I even left the camp and went home, but then Sjoerd Marijne took over as coach, and I felt I could still play," said the 36-year-old.
"I missed hockey a lot. Achievements are one thing, but when you play with enjoyment, you feel like doing even better. I played in Tokyo with this coaching staff and felt that I could play again," said the Padma Shri awardee.
She credited Wayne Lombard, head of athletics performance for the women's team, for helping her make a successful comeback following ankle surgery last year. She also emphasised that the team's improved goalkeeping performance was the result of collective effort.
"Our goalkeeping is being praised, but the crucial contributions of coach Sjoerd Marijne, Wayne and goalkeeping consultant Pirmin Blaak cannot be forgotten," said Savita, a three-time FIH Goalkeeper of the Year award winner.
She said that before the penalty stroke in the Asian Games final, she looked towards Bichu in the dugout rather than at the coach.
"The Chinese player had scored a goal in the World Cup with a shot to the left. I had to see whether she would shoot to the left or the right. I made eye contact with Bichu, and before the match, we had decided to go left. I paused a bit, and that's what I did," she said.
Savita, who also serves as the team's mentor, admitted that bringing the side to this level had not been easy.
"There were a lot of difficulties over the last two years. It was very difficult to mould this team into a unit. As a senior player, I also had a big responsibility to maintain coordination on and off the field because success can only be achieved if we play for each other. We worked hard on this."
Savita said the team had changed people's perceptions of women's hockey.
"We finished fourth at the Tokyo Olympics, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said that this performance was no less than a medal. But then, when we failed to qualify for the Paris Olympics, people started saying that our performance in Tokyo was a fluke.
"But we believed in ourselves, and with a new coaching staff, we found a new direction," she said.
Savita, who has broken many stereotypes throughout her career, feels that people tend to put too much pressure on women players regarding marriage, family life and age. However, she believes that success is the answer to every question.
"I have been fortunate that my family has always supported me, but I have seen many of my friends' careers end under this pressure. If I had stopped playing because of my age, I would have missed out on the gold medal I had worked hard for over 20 years."
Savita wants to open a goalkeeping academy after retirement.
"Even after retirement, I will remain involved in hockey. I believe that goalkeepers are not given enough attention at the domestic level. I would like to open my own goalkeeping academy so that I can produce good goalkeepers for Indian hockey."