Dikhyaa Mohanty 
Odisha’s athletic achievements were impressive once again as A Graceson Jeeva won a silver medal in the men’s 110-meter hurdles and the 400-meter women’s medley relay team won bronze in the ongoing National Games 2023 in Goa. In the meantime, the Odisha Women’s Football Team defeated Goa 4-0 to win for the second time in a row. As hockey action got underway today, the men’s team from Odisha lost 1-2 to Maharashtra, while the women’s team played to a hard-fought draw against West Bengal.
Pyari Xaxa, Lynda, Shubhadra Sahoo, and Sumitra Hembram scored goals to propel the Odisha Women’s Football Team to a 4-0 victory. Head coach Crispin Chettri of the women’s football team commented on the team’s impressive start, saying, “The girls played very well today and in the previous game as well, but it is important that we keep improving every day.” It is about continuous improvement in addition to winning and losing.
The former Indian footballer also said, “an event like National Games is always challenging, especially when you have a young team. Youngsters need time to get used to the environment.” He further added, “to make it easier for the team to settle down, the government of Odisha sent us to Goa ahead of the competition to engage in a week-long exposure trip. This has been very helpful as the players got used to the atmosphere and played friendly matches.”
With the team scheduled to face Haryana on Thursday, the Coach went onto express his optimism for the remainder of the competition, “I think we have a very good team, and we could be a strong medal prospect,” he opined.
