Vandana Katariya
♦ Indian women’s hockey stalwart Vandana Katariya announced her retirement from international hockey on 1 April 2025. ♦ She scored 158 goals in 320 international matches after making her debut for India in 2009. Vandana departs as the most-capped player in the history of Indian women’s hockey. ♦ At the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, where she became the first and only Indian woman to score a hat-trick at the Games. ♦ She also represented India at the Rio 2016 Olympics, two FIH Hockey Women’s World Cups in 2018 and 2022, three consecutive Commonwealth Games from 2014 to 2022 as well as three successive Asian Games from 2014 to 2022. ♦ Vandana Katariya also won silver medals at the Asian Games 2018, Women's Asian Champions Trophy Japan 2013 and Women's Asian Champions Trophy Donghae 2018. ♦ Vandana was honoured with some of India’s most prestigious awards, including the Arjuna Award (2021) and the Padma Shri (2022). ♦ She also received the Hockey India Balbir Singh Sr. Award for Player of the Year (Women) in 2014, the Hockey India President’s Award for Outstanding Achievement in 2021, and the Hockey India Dhanraj Pillay Award for Forward of the Year in 2021 and 2022, cementing her status as one of India’s finest forwards.