Love for Gold and Longing for Husband: Indian hockey captain Savita gears up for Asiad

Savita Punia, captain of Indian women's hockey team, is ready to endure temporary separation from her NRI husband to pursue her dream of an Olympic medal. She skipped her honeymoon and avoids long calls to focus on her rigorous training. Her supportive in-laws understand her passion and encourage her to fulfill her dreams.

"Sometimes I have many things to share with my husband but different time zones makes it so difficult to have lengthy conversations," Savita Punia shares the difficulties of a newly-wed in a long distance relationship with her NRI husband Ankit Balhara.

But then Savita is ready to endure this temporary forced separation as national duty gains precedence over everything else for the captain of the Indian women's hockey team, who wouldn't settle for anything less than a yellow metal at the upcoming Hangzhou Asian Games and a direct qualification for Paris Olympics.

Savita was back in national camp five days after her marriage, had to abort honeymoon plans and also avoid long face-time calls with her Canada-based husband in order to avoid fatigue after a rigorous training schedule.

"I got married on April 5 but joined the national camp five days after my marriage. I have hardly a week with my new family since then. Skipped the honeymoon and now it (honeymoon) will happen only after next year's Olympics only," said the ace goalkeeper in an interview to PTI Bhasha.

"I am planning a whirlwind visit to Vancouver in December where my in-laws are based provided we don't have any tournament or Pro League that time," she added.

Her husband Ankit is a software engineer and music composer who has composed background music for many Bollywood movies. They do not talk much over phone due to different time zones and her rigorous training schedules.

"I get up early in the morning as we have practice sessions. My husband is in Canada so time zones are different . Sometimes I have many things to share with him but I have decided to switch my phone off by 10.30 pm. I tell him to stop me, if I keep on talking beyond that," she said.