Indian women's hockey team midfielder Salima Tete has been awarded the Emerging Player of the Year Award by the Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) for her stellar performance in 2022. The 20-year-old received the award at the Annual General Meeting of the Asian Hockey Federation in Mungyeong, South Korea.
/sportzpoint/media/post_attachments/754308f27f4737e970efaf82dc135a9fda5c1818c80f52b966d9503083edfad5.jpeg)
"I sincerely thank the Asian Hockey Federation for recognizing the hard work that we have done on the ground over the years. But this journey would not have been possible without the constant support that I have received from my teammates and the coaching staff who have always given me the confidence to play according to my strengths and have given me the freedom to express myself. I hope to continue to perform in a similar fashion in the years to come" Salima Tete said after receiving the award.
Meanwhile, the Asian Hockey Federation also honored Hockey India Secretary General Bhola Nath Singh with the Emerging Sports Official Award. Salima Tete has been an integral part of the Indian women's team for the last two years. She recieved the rising player of the tournament at the Women's Asia Cup in Muscat last year. She made her debut for the senior team in 2016 during the series against Australia. Salima Tete was then instrumental in helping the Indian junior team. With her guidance, the team won the silver medal at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Salima was also a part of the Indian team that finished fourth in the Tokyo Olympics. She also participated in the FIH Hockey Women's Junior World Cup 2021 played in South Africa. The Indian team finished fourth in that world cup. The midfielder Salima Tete was also part of the Indian team that finished third in the FIH Hockey Pro League. She was with the team that won a bronze medal at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games as well.
Hockey India President Dilip Tirkey congratulated the young midfielder on winning the award. He said, "I congratulate Salima Tete on being honored with this award. It gives me immense pleasure to see that our Indian sportspersons are getting the recognition they deserve on the global platform."