Tokyo Olympics 2020: Sjoerd Marijne sets quarterfinal target for Indian women's hockey team

What's the story?

Indian women's hockey team head coach Sjoerd Marijne feels that 'anything can happen' if the Indian eves reach the quarterfinals of Tokyo Olympics 2020.

The background

The Indian Women's hockey team had a fantastic 2019. Rani Rampal and co. qualified for Tokyo Olympics 2020 after defeating the United States in a playoff of the 2019 Women's FIH Olympic Qualifiers in November last year.

The Indian eves competed against a few of the top teams in Women's Hockey including Spain, Great Britain, and South Korea and are now preparing for what will be their second-consecutive appearance at the quadrennial event.

The Indian Women's Hockey team had a forgettable outing at the 2016 Rio Olympics. They lost four and drew one of their group stage matches to finish at the bottom of Group B.

A few months later in December 2016, Sjoerd Marijne took charge of the team following which there have been significant improvements.

Also Checkout: Also check out: the full Olympics 2020 Schedule

The heart of the matter

Speaking to the Olympic Channel, Head Coach Sjoerd Marijne said:

"Our aim is to reach the quarter-finals at the 2020 Olympics. From there on, anything can happen. Obviously, the Netherlands is the best team at the moment but after that, there are really a lot of teams that can win against one another."

The Indian eves are currently focusing on preparing for the upcoming Summer Olympics. They are attending a four-week long physical conditioning camp at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) centre in Bengaluru.

Speaking on the camp, Marijne added, "Everything from hereon is focused towards the 2020 Olympics. This is a physical conditioning camp. These four weeks are about reaching the next step on the physical fitness aspect and while we have come a long way in the past three years, there is always room for improvement and this is the perfect moment to do it too."

What's next?

Earlier in January 2019, Janneke Schopman, an Olympic gold medal winner, was appointed as the analytical coach of the Indian Women's Hockey team.

Marijne knows Schopman really well and the Dutch duo will look to take the Indian eves to greater heights and ensure preparations are top-notch ahead of the Olympics.

Also check out: India's medal tally in olympics

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