Bhopal, MADHYA PRADESH :
Bhopal :
Slum girl Khushboo Khan — who hones her hockey goalkeeping skills by pitting herself against male players in Bhopal — has finally realised her dream. The 17-year-old has been selected in the 33-member core group of the Indian women hockey team.
Khushboo is now practising at the SAI centre in Bengaluru. She is waiting with bated breath for July 15 when the camp of the core group will be held in her hometown Bhopal. Talking to TOI on Wednesday, an elated Khusbhoo said, “Everything has changed all of a sudden in my life. After being selected in the core group, my confidence has soared. I am now confident I will be part of the national team.” She was selected from among 60 hockey players from across the country.
“I am keen to come back to Bhopal. This Bengaluru tour has given me lot of experience and my family is thrilled,” she said. TOI had brought the gritty athlete to limelight on March 25, showing how she has to play with men because there aren’t any women players in Bhopal. Playing with men, who run faster and hit harder than most women players, has sharpened Khushboo’s reflexes, said her coach Habib Hasan.
Khushboo laughs and calls herself an “aberration”. The boys she plays with call her a hero. The teenager lives in a tin shed where you can’t turn around without hitting something. She runs, sweats, and competes with men — even gets the better of them.
A national player, she is the daughter of an auto driver and one of five children. She understands nothing will ever come easy for her. Such is the condition of her family she did not even have money to repair her cycle so she walks from her slum in Jehangirabad every day, in searing heat, to Major Dhyan Chand ground for practise.
She has represented the state in national tournaments in senior, junior and sub-junior categories. She embraced hockey only four years ago. “One of my friends told me about a hockey summer camp at Lal Parade ground. I went there. After the camp, I started going to the men’s MP Hockey Academy at Maj Dhyan Chand ground as I believe I can make a career in this game. Since then, I have never looked back,” said Khushboo.
Asked about playing with boys, the sprightly teenager said, “There is no coaching facility for girls in Bhopal. But playing with the boys is a blessing in disguise for me. Defending the goalpost against men has made it easier for me to play with girls in national tournaments. Now, it has become a habit for me to practise with the boys as I peg my game at their speed and strength.”
Khushboo says she’s not waiting for someone to come forward to help her. “If someone helps, fine. I will keep playing, anyway. My dream is to get into the MP women’s hockey academy,” said Khushboo. “I am ready for any challenge to realize my dream.”
Coach Habib Hasan and other hockey players have congratulated her.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> News> City News> Bhopal News / by Ramendra Singh / TNN / June 15th, 2017