Preeti Dubey makes inspiring comeback to Indian Women’s Hockey Team, eyes 2028 Summer Olympics

Preeti Dubey, the talented forward, has been named in the 33-player Indian Women’s Hockey Team and is currently training at the SAI Bangalore. She found a place in the team after a strong performance in the recent assessment camp following the 14th Hockey India Senior Women National Championship 2024.

The 25-year-old from Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh last represented the Indian team in the World League Semi-Final in 2017. Preeti credits her family and coaches for their support during her journey back to the team.

“It feels amazing to come back in the national setup. But this is just the first step. All my efforts and hard work have paid off. I would like to thank my family members, and all my coaches who supported me, motivated me and stood by me in difficult times. I always believed in myself that the right time would come and I never doubted my abilities and potential to come back into the national setup,” Preeti said while speaking with Hockey India.

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Preeti's goal is to make the 18-member Indian Women's Hockey Team

She aims to continue pushing herself to improve her game and contribute to the success of the Indian team.

“My next aim is to make the cut for the 18-member squad, gain my confidence and help my team win medals and accolades on an international circuit. My main focus is now on the 2028 Summer Olympics,” Preeti said regarding her aspirations.

She faced struggles during the lockdown in 2020 but remained mentally strong and focused on her fitness.

“I have seen a lot of ups and downs in the past few years but I believe that because of what happened, it has made me mentally strong. When the lockdown happened in 2020, I faced a lot of problems because we couldn’t play Nationals and due to that I couldn’t get my allocated leave from my job at Centre Railway. That one year was the toughest for me. I used to work for eight hours and then come back to my room, and prepare my own food as I was living in Mumbai without my family. But every day, I used to make time for my fitness and training from 8-9 pm. I made sure that my fitness level never went down.”

Preeti has represented the Indian team in several national and international tournaments. She was part of the Indian Women’s Hockey Team that qualified for the Rio Olympics 2016. She led the Indian Junior Women's Hockey Team in the Under-23 six-nation tournament in 2018.