इटली महिला हॉकी टीम FIH हॉकी ओलंपिक क्वॉलीफायर्स रांची 2024 के लिए पहुंची, पहली बार ओलंपिक क्वॉलीफायर्स में भाग लेकर अपनी पहली ओलंपिक जगह की आशा जताती है (Italy women's hockey team arrives for FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers Ranchi 2024, hopes for its first Olympic berth by participating in Olympic qualifiers for the first time)

• By admin
• 05 Jan, 2024

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Italy women's hockey team arrives for FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers Ranchi 2024, hopes for its first Olympic berth by participating in Olympic qualifiers for the first time

~ Italy women's hockey team will face New Zealand in its first game ~

Ranchi, January 4, 2024: With an eye on their maiden Olympic berth, the Italy women's hockey team began their journey to the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers 2024 on an enthusiastic note, arriving in Ranchi, Jharkhand on Thursday morning. The Italian team, led by co-captains Federica Carta and Sara Puglisi, will be cheering against New Zealand in their first match on January 13, 2024, which will be the first meeting between the two teams in seven years.

As soon as she reached Ranchi, Captain Sara Puglisi expressed her excitement about the upcoming tournament and talked openly about the team's preparations for the upcoming matches. "We've had a couple of months of preparation together. We've put in a lot of work – we've come here and we'll finish training our final steps this week and then we'll start the tournament together. It's very exciting."

Italy, who are ranked 19th in the FIH World Rankings, are in Pool B and will play their first match against the US on January 14, and then their final pool match against India on January 16. Other teams competing in the competition include Olympic silver medalist Germany, former Asian Games winners Japan, Chile and Czech Republic. The top 3 teams from the tournament will qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

Despite the lack of preparation, the Italian skipper expressed confidence in his team's abilities, even when facing off against higher-ranked teams in the tournament. "We know it will be a tough competition. But everything is open and nothing is impossible. We will do whatever it takes to get the results that go our way."

Italy are the second team to reach Ranchi after hosts India, and Captain Sara gave an obvious reason behind the team's early arrival. "We wanted to finish our preparations here so we could practice the weather and the turf – so we decided to come early."

Although Italy has won several titles in women's hockey, including a gold medal at the 2013 EuroHockey Nations Championship II, they have yet to clinch an Olympic berth. When asked what qualifying for the Olympics would mean, Sara said, "We've been waiting for a long time to go to the Olympics, so if we can qualify, we'll be very happy. It's a dream for everyone."

Meanwhile, Italy women's hockey team head coach Andres Mondo supported his team, despite their lack of experience, and told them that no team should take them lightly. “We are a very new and young team, and you can see that we are using different formations. Currently, we are ranked No. 19, but the quality of our team, our players, we don't feel like we are There are 19 numbers,” he finished.