Experienced midfielder of Odisha Lilima Minz decided to call time with the Indian women’s hockey team on Thursday.
Lilima, who made her debut for the national side at the 4-Nation Women’s Hockey Tournament held in Argentina (Quilmes and Parana) in 2011, has been part of many glorious moments with the Indian women’s hockey team. The midfielder, who scored 12 goals in 156 matches for India, was part of the bronze medal victory at the Asian Games in 2014, silver medal win at the 2018 Asian Games and the gold medal victory at the FIH Women’s Series Finals Hiroshima in 2019.
Lilima featured in the historic Indian side which took the field at the Rio Olympics in 2016. The Indian women’s hockey team had qualified for the Olympics for the first time in 36 years. The midfielder was also a part of the Indian team which booked a place in the Tokyo Olympics through the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers 2019 in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
“Lilima has made a huge contribution to Indian hockey during her fantastic career and we cannot thank her enough for her efforts. She has played a massive role in the growth of the Indian women’s hockey team in the last few years. Hockey India congratulates her on a wonderful career and wishes her all the very best for the next chapter of her life,” stated Hockey India President Gyanendro Ningombam.