"Not A Loss, It's A Win": Rani Rampal's Father After Tokyo Olympics Bronze Medal Match

The father of Indian women's hockey team captain Rani Rampal has said that the heartbreaking defeat in the bronze medal match at the Tokyo Olympics was "not a loss" but a win in itself. Reacting to the team's 3-4 defeat at the hands of Great Britain in Tokyo on Friday, Rampal, Rani's father, said his daughter will be welcomed back to her home "like a winner" once she returns from the Summer Games. Rani's family is based in Shahabad in Haryana's Kurukshetra district. 

“I am very happy with the way the team played; all the players performed very well. For me, this is a win, not a loss. When she (Rani) comes back, we will welcome her back like a winner,” Rampal told NDTV's Saurabh Shukla. 

“I don't think about wins or losses. There will be victories and defeats but they (the players) have shown great spirit,” he added. 

“The government is working for sports from all quarters, so I can't say much about their work. They are working for women's sports too,” Rampal said about the support received by athletes ahead of the Olympics. 

India were trailing by two goals midway through the second quarter on Friday against Great Britain but fought back immediately and scored three times within five minutes to go 3-2 up at half-time. 

However, Great Britain, winners of the gold medal at the Rio Olympics, proved too strong and scored twice later in the game to seal victory and the bronze medal.

For India, Gurjit Kaur scored a brace while Vandana Katariya netted once. Ellie Rayer, Sarah Robertson, Hollie Pearne-Webb and Grace Balsdon scored for the British team. 

Earlier in the competition, India, having finished fourth in their group, stunned Australia 1-0 in the quarterfinals. They lost to Argentina 1-2 in the semis in a tightly-contested match.