Gurjit Kaur
{{short description|Indian field hockey player}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2022}}
{{Use Indian English|date=September 2022}}
{{Infobox field hockey player
| name = Gurjit Kaur
| image = Gurjit Kaur.jpg
| caption = Kaur in August 2022
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1995|10|25|df=y}}
| birth_place = Miadi Kalan, Amritsar, Punjab, India
| height = 1.67 m
| weight = 59 kg
| position = Defender
| currentclub = Railways
| years1 =
| clubs1 = Railways
| caps1 =
| goals1 =
| nationalyears1 = 2014–
| nationalteam1 = India
| nationalcaps1 = 137
| nationalgoals1 = 86
| medaltemplates =
{{MedalSport|Women's field hockey}}
{{MedalCountry|{{IND}}}}
{{MedalCompetition|Asian Games}}
{{MedalSilver|2018 Jakarta|Team}}
{{MedalComp|Commonwealth Games}}
{{MedalBronze|2022 Birmingham|Team}}
{{MedalCompetition|Asia Cup}}
{{MedalGold|2017 Gifu|}}
{{MedalBronze|2022 Muscat|}}
{{MedalCompetition|Asian Champions Trophy}}
{{MedalSilver|2018 Donghae|}}
{{MedalCompetition|FIH Nations Cup}}
{{MedalGold|2022 Spain|}}
{{MedalCompetition|South Asian Games}}
{{MedalGold|2016 Guwahati|Team}}
}}
Gurjit Kaur (born 25 October 1995) is an Indian female field hockey player.{{cite web |url=http://hockeyindia.org/team/gurjit-kaur.html |title=Gurjit Kaur |publisher=Hockey India |access-date=6 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180126224632/http://hockeyindia.org/team/gurjit-kaur.html |archive-date=26 January 2018 |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |url=http://www.dnaindia.com/sports/report-india-at-cwg-2018-gurjit-kaur-scores-twice-as-india-defeat-malaysia-4-1-in-women-s-hockey-2601698 |title=India at CWG 2018: Gurjit Kaur scores twice as India defeat Malaysia 4–1 in women's hockey |work=Daily News & Analysis |date=6 April 2018 |access-date=6 April 2018}}{{cite web |url=https://results.gc2018.com/en/hockey/athlete-profile-n6006420-gurjit-kaur.htm |title=Gurjit Kaur |publisher=Gold Coast 2018 |access-date=6 April 2018}} She plays the position of a defender and is also the team's designated drag flicker. She has represented India internationally, most recently at the Hockey World Cup 2018. She was the most successful goal-scorer during India's Asia Cup title triumph with 8 goals.{{Cite news |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/gurjit-kaur/articleshow/62588301.cms |title=Gurjit Kaur – Times of India |work=The Times of India |access-date=28 July 2018}} She has played 53 international matches, {{as of|2018|July|lc=y}}.{{Cite web|url=http://hockeyindia.org/spain-tour-women|title=Hockey India {{!}} Spain Tour (Women)|website=hockeyindia.org|language=en-US|access-date=28 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180719164806/http://hockeyindia.org/spain-tour-women|archive-date=19 July 2018|url-status=dead}} She was named women's "Player of the Year" at FIH Player of the Year Awards for the year 2020-21.{{Cite web|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/hockey/top-stories/hockey-india-sweeps-fih-annual-awards-mens-olympic-champion-belgium-says-this-is-not-normal/articleshow/86807596.cms|title=Hockey: India sweeps FIH annual awards|website=The Times of India}} She was great Indian player who represent punjab and India at national level.
Early life
Gurjit Kaur was born on 25 October 1995, in the Miadi Kalan village in Amritsar, Punjab. She was born into a farming family to parents Satnam Singh and Harjinder Kaur. She has one older sister, Pradeep Kaur. It was important to her parents to give her and her sister a quality education, so they elected to send their two daughters to a private school in Ajnala, over 13 km away, instead of the local government school in the village. Gurjit's father Satnam Singh would fit his daughters into his cycle and drive them to school, and wait all day until their school got over to ferry them back.{{Cite web |url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/sunday-special/kaleidoscope/trust-the-stick-she-carries/496271.html |title=Trust the stick she carries |last=Grewal |first=Inderjit |date=12 November 2017 |website=The Tribune |access-date=28 July 2018}}
Since this was not a practical solution, her parents finally decided to send their two daughters to a boarding school over 70 km away in Kairon in the Tarn Taran district of Punjab in 2006.{{Cite news |url=https://www.sportskeeda.com/hockey/hard-work-will-pay-off-in-the-world-cup-says-star-drag-flicker-gurjit-kaur |title='Hard work will pay off in the World Cup,' says star drag-flicker Gurjit Kaur |date=15 June 2018 |access-date=28 July 2018}} Kairon happened to be one of the oldest and most famous women's hockey nurseries, and this is where the two sisters discovered their passion for the sport. Their excellence in hockey earned them a spot in the government wing of the school, granting them free education and meals, which came as a relief to the sisters' cash-strapped parents.
Gurjit Kaur continued her education at Kairon until 2011, after which she moved to Jalandhar's Lyallpur Khalsa College for Women to continue her education and her training – which is where she got serious about drag-flicking. After this, she got placed in the Indian Railways as a junior clerk in Allahabad.{{Cite web |url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/jalandhar/city-s-chak-de-girls-aim-for-olympics-gold/418145.html |title=City's 'Chak De' girls aim for Olympics gold |date=6 June 2017 |website=The Tribune |access-date=28 July 2018}}
Career
Gurjit Kaur got her first shot at playing for the country when she was called for the Senior National Camp in 2014. However, she could not secure a place on the team. It was only in 2017 that she became a permanent member of the Indian women's hockey team. Gurjit Kaur then played in the Test series in Canada in March 2017, the Hockey World League Round 2 in April 2017 and the Hockey World League semifinals in July 2017.{{citation needed|date=September 2022}}
The Dutch head coach of India, Sjoerd Marijne, encouraged her to change her stick to get better at drag flicking, which improved her game. "The stick I used earlier felt light and I didn’t get enough power. So, when we went to Holland, Marijne asked me to try drag-flicking with a different stick. It was much better and I felt more powerful. The change has helped me,” Gurjit said in an interview to The Tribune. Marijne also arranged for her to train with Dutch coach Toon Siepman, who helped her work on her basics like her posture and footwork during the drag-flicking process.{{citation needed|date=September 2022}}
Gurjit Kaur's time in the spotlight came in the 2017 Asia Cup, in which the Indian team emerged as continental champions and consequently qualified for a spot at the Hockey World Cup in London in 2018. Gurjit Kaur ended the tournament as the third-highest goal scorer by netting eight goals, and was also the Indian team's top scorer. She converted seven penalty corners including a hat-trick against Kazakhstan in the quarter-final. In the semi-final she scored twice against defending champions Japan.{{Cite news |url=https://scroll.in/field/856904/from-gurjit-kaur-to-savita-punia-four-players-who-impressed-during-indias-asia-cup-triumph |title=From Gurjit Kaur to Savita Poonia: Four players who impressed during India's Asia Cup triumph |author=Scroll Staff |work=Scroll.in |access-date=28 July 2018 |language=en-US}}
Gurjit Kaur also made an impressive performance at the Commonwealth Games 2018, held in Australia. Although India did not secure a podium finish, coming in at fourth place, Gurjit Kaur caught attention for her two penalty corner conversion goals against Malaysia in its second pool A match during the tournament, helping India score a 4–1 win.{{Cite news |url=https://www.firstpost.com/laureus/article/commonwealth-games-2018-gurjit-kaur-strikes-twice-as-india-womens-team-thrash-malaysia-4420667.html |title=Commonwealth Games 2018: Gurjit Kaur strikes twice as India women's team thrash Malaysia – Laureus World Sports Awards 2017 |access-date=28 July 2018}}
In the lead-up to the Hockey World Cup 2018, the Indian team played a series of five matches against the Spanish national team dubbed the Spain Tour, which they won 4–1. In the final match, Gurjit Kaur scored two goals alongside skipper Rani Rampal who also scored two goals, bringing the final score to 4–1.{{Cite news |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/hockey/rani-rampal-gurjit-kaur-lead-india-to-series-levelling-win-over-spain-5223769/ |title=Rani Rampal, Gurjit Kaur lead India to series-levelling win over Spain |date=19 June 2018 |work=The Indian Express |access-date=28 July 2018 |language=en-US}}{{Cite news |url=https://scroll.in/field/883199/hockey-rani-rampal-and-gurjit-kaur-help-india-end-spanish-tour-with-a-4-1-victory |title=Hockey: Rani Rampal and Gurjit Kaur help India end Spanish tour with a 4–1 victory |author=Scroll Staff |work=Scroll.in |access-date=28 July 2018 |language=en-US}}
Gurjit Kaur is also a part of the Hockey World Cup squad as India's defender and drag flicker.{{Cite news |url=https://scroll.in/field/884609/rani-rampal-to-lead-indian-team-in-womens-hockey-world-cup |title=Rani Rampal to lead Indian team in women's hockey World Cup |author=Scroll Staff |work=Scroll.in |access-date=28 July 2018 |language=en-US}}
Gurjit Kaur also made another impressive performance by scoring the only goal against Australia in 2020 Summer Olympics. This helped India reach semi-finals in Olympic women's hockey for first time ever.{{Cite news |url= https://www.thehindu.com/sport/hockey/brave-indian-women-create-history-enter-olympic-hockey-semifinals-for-first-time/article35674584.ece |title=Brave Indian women create history, enter Olympic hockey semifinals for first time}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{sports links}}
- [https://www.hockeyindia.org/players/gurjit-kaur-profile-244 Gurjit Kaur] at Hockey India
{{Navboxes
|title=India squads
| bg = #0077FF
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|list1=
{{India FHW Squad 2017 Asia Cup}}
{{India FHW Squad 2018 World Cup}}
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{{India FHW Squad 2020 Summer Olympics}}
{{India FHW Squad 2022 Asia Cup}}
{{India FHW Squad 2022 World Cup}}
{{India FHW Squad 2022 Commonwealth Games}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kaur, Gurjit}}
Category:Indian female field hockey players
Category:21st-century Indian women
Category:21st-century Indian people
Category:Female field hockey defenders
Category:Field hockey players from Punjab, India
Category:Sportswomen from Punjab, India
Category:Field hockey players at the 2020 Summer Olympics
Category:Olympic field hockey players for India
Category:Field hockey players at the 2018 Asian Games
Category:Asian Games silver medalists for India
Category:Asian Games field hockey players for India
Category:Medalists at the 2018 Asian Games
Category:Field hockey players at the 2018 Commonwealth Games
Category:South Asian Games gold medalists for India
Category:South Asian Games medalists in field hockey
Category:Field hockey players at the 2022 Commonwealth Games
Category:Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for India
Category:Commonwealth Games field hockey players for India
Category:Commonwealth Games bronze medallists in field hockey