Vandana credits influence of Pillay, Ronaldo, Bolt for iconic hockey career

Indian women's hockey team forward Vandana Katariya, who retired from the international circuit on Tuesday, revealed drawing inspiration from legends like Dhanraj Pillay, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Usain Bolt to keep herself upbeat during her 15-year-long career in the senior side.

- AGENCIES

Vandana finished as the most-capped player in the history of Indian women's hockey with 320 international appearances and 158 goals. She called it an emotional decision to hang up her boots.

"It was a very hard decision to take. We stay with each other more than a family, so leaving them was an emotional decision. To feel and understand this decision is really difficult. Today I felt too emotional and took the decision to announce my retirement," she told a news agency.

Despite achieving multiple accolades over the years, the 2013 Junior World Cup triumph where she finished as the team's top-scorer in Monchengladbach, Germany, and the Tokyo Olympics' fourth-place finish remain close to Vandana's heart.

"There were a lot of highs in my career from winning the bronze medal in Junior World Cup in 2013 to qualifying for Rio Olympics in 2016 to winning a gold medal in the Asia Cup in 2017 to winning a silver medal in the Asian Games to missing out on a medal and finishing fourth in the Tokyo Olympics. Among these, the Tokyo Olympics and the 2013 Junior World Cup are the most special moments for me," she asserted.