New Delhi [India], September 16 (ANI): India women’s hockey coach Sjoerd Marijne believes the team’s best World Cup finish in 52 years has given his players the confidence and belief to compete against the world’s top sides as they prepare for the upcoming Asian Games 2026 scheduled to be held in Japan's Aichi-Nagoya.
India finished fifth at the FIH Hockey World Cup, beating Germany in the classification match, and Marijne feels the experience of taking on elite opposition has provided his players with evidence of their ability that cannot simply come from a coach’s encouragement.
“I can tell them many times, ‘Okay, we are a good team, you can do it,’ but they have to experience it themselves,” Marijne told Olympics.com.
“Now they played against the best teams in the world, and they have experienced that they can match up with them, and sometimes even beat them, like Germany, who I really rank as a top-four team,” he added.
Germany were ranked fifth during the World Cup, while India were ninth, with the latter securing a 3-2 win in the classification match to finish fifth.
With the Asian Games now approaching, Marijne admitted the team has had little time to reflect on the significance of its World Cup campaign.
“Sometimes you would like to have a little bit more time to really realise what happened because when you're in the moment, you don't always realise,” he said, as per Olympics.com.
“But it's the way it is, and we need to focus now on the Asian Games. Of course, it feels really good coming back with that position, and that gives a lot of confidence to the team,” he added.
The Asian Games will also provide India with a direct route to the LA 2028 Olympics, with the gold medallist earning an Olympic quota.
India are set to face strong Asian opposition in Aichi-Nagoya, with the People’s Republic of China, Japan and the Republic of Korea among their major rivals. Marijne, however, does not want the Olympic qualification equation to distract his players from their immediate objective.
“For us, it's about ourselves. Focus on our own performance and doing that well,” Marijne said, as per Olympics.com.
The Dutch coach also refused to look ahead to the possibility of winning the Asian Games gold medal, insisting that his focus remains on the task in front of the team.
“I don't believe in ‘if’. I'm sorry, I know you want to have an answer, but I'm not going to jinx things,” Marijne said. “I have respect for our opponents.”
Marijne said focusing excessively on potential outcomes could add unnecessary pressure, while concentrating on what the players need in the moment allows him to stay focused on factors within his control.
“Outcomes like, ‘Oh, if we win this’ or ‘if we lose that one,’ that creates stress,” he explained. “But if I'm busy like, ‘Okay, what do the girls at this moment need from me?’ that brings me back to what I can control,” he said.
The coach is also encouraged by the squad’s hunger for further improvement. Despite their historic World Cup finish, the players were not completely satisfied with their performance, allowing Marijne to continue raising the standards within the group.
“They're hungry for more, and I think that is the spirit you need to have if you are acting on the highest level,” he said. “I like that mindset very much because that means that I also can set the benchmark higher and higher,” said Marijne.
For Marijne, the immediate focus is not on the Asian Games final or the Olympic quota, but on India’s opening match against Uzbekistan.
“I'm trying to focus on the here and now and on my task,” he concluded. (ANI)
"They know they can match the best": Head coach Marijne says World Cup run has given India belief ahead of Asian Games
