#4 Indian Women’s Hockey Team in Moscow, Russia, 1980
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It was our women’s hockey team’s first Olympic appearance and we had a huge chance to make it to the podium as top teams like Netherlands, West Germany, USA, Australia and Great Britain boycotted the Games. India started off well by beating Poland and Austria by scoring six goals and conceding none. But a 0-2 defeat against Czechoslovakia and a 1-1 draw against Zimbabwe (who were eventual champions), India lost the plot.
India’s last match was against USSR where just a draw could have assured the team a bronze and a win could even have gotten them a silver. However, the Blueskirts lost their nerves and lost the match 1-3 to USSR. As a result, the Indian women finished fourth behind Zimbabwe, Czechoslovakia and the USSR. In fact, 1980 was also the last time Indian women’s hockey team participated in Olympics and now we have qualified again for 2016 Rio Olympics.
