Vandana Katariya or Vandana Kataria is an Indian hockey player who plays as a forward for the Indian women’s national hockey team. She came into limelight after scoring five goals for India at the 2013 Women’s Hockey Youth World Cup; India won the bronze medal in the tournament.
Wiki/Biography
Vandana Katariya was born on Wednesday, April 15, 1992 (age 29; as of 2021) in Roshnabad, Haridwar, Uttar Pradesh (now Uttarakhand, India). Her zodiac sign is Aries. Vandana has been fond of sports since her childhood. As a child, she would often leave home (to avoid elders who disapproved of her playing hockey) and practice her moves with tree branches. Her father always supported her playing hockey.
appearance
Height: 5′2″
Weight: 51kg
Hair color: brown
Eye color: brown
family
Vandana’s father Nahar Singh worked as a senior technician at BHEL in Haridwar. He used to be a wrestler. Her father died three months before the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Vandana was unable to attend her father’s funeral as she was preparing for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Little is known about her mother. She has an elder brother, Chandrashekhar Kataria.
caste
Vandana Katariya comes from a Dalit family.
Profession
Vandana made his international hockey debut in 2006 at the junior level (team) and in 2010 at the senior level (team). In 2013, she represented the Indian national team and won a bronze medal at the 2013 Youth World Cup in Monchengladbach, Germany. Katariya is the top scorer for the Indian team in this tournament; she scored 5 goals in 4 games. Vandana played her 100th game against Canada at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland.
Vandana Katariya during hockey championship
In the 2015 International Hockey Federation Ice Hockey World League, Vandana scored 11 goals (top scorer) in the second round; India won the competition. In 2016, Kataria was appointed captain of the Indian women’s hockey team for the Test series against Australia. She leads the Indian women’s hockey team in Melbourne. In 2016, she became a member of the Indian women’s hockey team for the Rio Olympics.
Vandana Katariya at a hockey game
In 2018, the Indian women’s hockey team won the silver medal in the Asian Champions Cup; Vandana was named the best player of the tournament. In the same year, she was selected into the 16-man World Cup squad.
Vandana Katariya with the Indian Women’s Hockey Team
In 2020, Vandana became the first Indian woman to score an Olympic hat-trick in hockey after qualifying for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The Olympics are being held in 2021 due to the spread of the coronavirus.
Vandana Katariya and Indian Hockey Team for Tokyo 2020
On October 31, 2023, Vandana participated in the Women’s Asian Champions Trophy held in Ranchi, Jharkhand, India. By participating in the competition, she created the history of the Indian national hockey team participating in 300 international matches, becoming the first person to achieve this milestone.
Vandana Katariya honored for representing India national hockey team in 300 international matches
dispute
In August 2021, after India lost to Argentina in the semi-finals of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, two upper-caste men (Vijaypal and Sumit Chauhan) abused Vandana’s family members near Katariya’s house in Roshnabad village, Haridwar. They allegedly said the Indian team lost because there were “too many Dalit players” while pointing out Vandana’s family. The men even set off firecrackers near her home and danced to pretend to celebrate. Subsequently, the local police registered a case against the two accused under relevant sections of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and Section 504 of the Indian Penal Code (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace). The station received a complaint from the Vandana brothers.
An accused in Vandana case arrested by police
medal
- 2013 Monchengladbach Youth World Cup Bronze Medal (Team)
- 2014 Incheon Asian Games Bronze Medal (Team)
- 2014 Gifu Asian Cup Gold Medal (Team)
- 2018 Jakarta Asian Games Silver Medal (Team)
- 2023 Asian Games Bronze Medal in Hangzhou, China
Vandana Katariya after winning bronze medal at 2023 Asian Games
sign
Vandana Katariya signs SNS ProTour hockey stick for fans
Favorites
- Food: Burgers, home cooking
- Dessert: Chocolate Ice Cream
- Hockey players: Mohammad Shahid, Luciana Amar
Facts/Trivia
- Vandana enjoys spending time with her family whenever she can.
- In an interview, when asked about her favorite moment in her hockey career, Vandana said:
It must have been when we won the bronze medal at the World Cup in Germany. My father had tears in his eyes when he got calls from the media. So, making my dad proud was the best moment of my hockey career. “
- In 2014, Vandana won the Hockey India Player of the Year award.
- Indian women’s hockey team interim coach Roland Altmans said of Vandana in an interview,
In my book, Vandana is one of the top forwards in world hockey. She is fast, can score goals, can defend, and is always improving. “
- As of 2021, Vandana has played more than 200 international hockey matches for the Indian national team.
- Her current club (as of 2021) is Railways.
- Katalia has a tattoo on the back of her right hand.
Tattoos by Vandana Katariya
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education