Nikki Pradhan

Nikki Pradhan (born 8 December 1993)[1] is an Indian professional field hockey player and is a member of the Indian national team. Pradhan was the first female Hockey player from Jharkhand who represented India in the Olympics.[2] Pradhan was included in a 16-member squad for Rio Olympics, which also marked the return of Indian women's hockey to the Olympics after 36 years[3] after a stellar show at the Hockey World League Semifinals in 2015.[4] Pradhan was the midfielder of the Indian Women's Hockey team. Her selection to the team made her the sixth hockey player from Jharkhand to play in Olympics, bracketing her with Jaipal Singh Munda (1928), Michael Kido (1972), Sylvanus Dungdung (1980), Ajeet Lakra (1992) and Manohar Topno (1984).[2][5][6]

Nikki Pradhan
Personal information
Born (1993-12-08) 8 December 1993
Hesel, Khunti, Bihar
(present-day Jharkhand), India
Height 1.53 m (5 ft 0 in)
Weight 49 kg (108 lb)
Playing position Midfielder
Club information
Current club Railways
Senior career
Years Team
Hockey Jharkhand
Railways
National team
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2015– India 159 (2)
Medal record
Women's field hockey
Representing  India
Asian Games
Silver medal – second place2018 JakartaTeam
Bronze medal – third place2022 HangzhouTeam
Commonwealth Games
Bronze medal – third place2022 BirminghamTeam
Asia Cup
Gold medal – first place2017 Gifu
Asian Champions Trophy
Gold medal – first place2016 Singapore
Silver medal – second place2018 Donghae
FIH Nations Cup
Gold medal – first place2022 Spain

Early life

Pradhan was born in Hesel village in tribal heartland Khunti, roughly 60 kilometres from Ranchi, Jharkhand, on 8 December 1993, to Soma Pradhan, a Bihar police constable, and his wife, Jitan Devi, a homemaker. Pradhan is the third daughter of Soma Pradhan and Jitan Devi.[7] She belongs to Kharwar Bhogta community.[8]

Pradhan studied at Pilaul Middle School and started playing the game at a young age under the guidance of her childhood coach Dasrath Mahto.[7] She was inspired by Pushpa Pradhan, who visited school in 1999 and tell her journey to national hockey team.[9] Then she made hockey stick of bamboo and started to play.[10] Later she enrolled in the Bariatu Girls' Hockey Center in Ranchi in 2005, which has produced former Indian captain Asunta Lakra. She leave sport hostel in 2009. After passing 12th class in 2010, she had to leave hostel but she was allowed to stay in hostel and play in campus due to request.[10] After playing Jharkhand National Games in 2011, she got selected for national camp in 2012.[9]

Career

Pradhan played the first time for India in U-17 Asia Cup in Bangkok in 2011.[2] However, Pradhan wasn't able to get selected for the India's Junior National Hockey Camp in 2011–2012.[7] Pradhan was also a part of the U-21 Women's Hockey Team which won the silver medal in the Asia Cup, however, had to stay out of action due to an injury until the beginning of 2015.[2] Pradhan made her debut for the Senior Indian Team and was called into the senior camp in August 2015.[7]

Pradhan was later selected as a member of the squad of Indian Women's Hockey team, which represented India in Rio Olympics in Brazil in 2016. Her selection to the Indian Women's Hockey team that represented India in Olympics scripted history as she was the first woman Hockey player from Jharkhand to ever play in Olympics.[3] The 16-member team was led by defender Sushila Chanu. Pradhan played at the position of a midfielder, alongside Renuka Yadav, Llima Minz, Monika and Navjot Kaur. The other team members were Deep Grace Ekka, Anuradha Devi Thokchom, Savita, Poonam Rani, Vandana Katariya, Deepika, Namita Toppo, Sunita Lakra and Preeti Dubey.[4] The team, however, got eliminated in the group stage where they were placed 6th.[4]

In 2022 Commonwealth Games, Indian women hockey team won bronze medal. The team won a medal in common wealth games after 16 years.[9]

References
  1. "Nikki Pradhan | SportingIndia". sportingindia.com. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
  2. Ray, Dhritiman (12 July 2016). "Nikki Pradhan first woman hockey player from Jharkhand at Olympics – Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
  3. "Jharkhand's Nikki Pradhan in hockey team for Rio Olympic – Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
  4. "Rio 2016: Sushila Chanu to lead Indian women's hockey team at Olympics". Firstpost. 13 July 2016. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
  5. "Our girl Nikki makes it to Rio- Khunti lass becomes state's first woman hockey player at Olympics". telegraphindia.com. Archived from the original on 14 July 2016. Retrieved 13 August 2016.
  6. "Nikki Pradhan". rio2016.com. Archived from the original on 17 August 2016. Retrieved 13 August 2016.
  7. "Nikki Pradhan overcomes hurdles to become Jharkhand's first woman hockey Olympian". 13 July 2016. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
  8. "प्रतिभाओं को निखारने में करेंगे हर संभव सहयोग : निक्की प्रधान" (in Hindi). jagran. 28 August 2021. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  9. "From running away from training to CWG bronze, Nikki Pradhan has come a long way". timesofindia. 10 August 2022. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  10. "हॉकी प्लेयर निक्की प्रधान के संघर्ष की कहानी, जानें कैसे तय किया खेत से ओलिंपिक तक का सफर" (in Hindi). ndtv. 21 May 2022. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
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