s2h Team

Moving from a remote village named Lulkidihi-Bahamnibahal of Odisha’s Sundargarh district’s Balisankra block to becoming an Olympian, Deep Grace Ekka has indeed come a long way.

“It’s a great feeling to get the opportunity to represent India in the Olympics for a second time,” Deep Grace told this writer after being named in India’s Tokyo Olympics-bound women’s hockey squad.

A dependable defender, Deep Grace was a member of the Indian squad which participated in the 2016 Rio Olympics as well. She is set to be Odisha’s first female hockey player to take part in two Olympics. The only Odia to have done better is former men’s hockey team captain Dilip Tirkey who is a triple Olympian (1996 Atlanta, 2000 Sydney and 2004 Athens.

Another great, Ignace Tirkey, has played in two Olympics – the 2004 and 2012 editions. Interestingly Ignace also hails from Lulkidihi village. Birendra Lakra and Namita Toppo, also of Odisha, are bound for their second Olympics when they take the flight to Tokyo.

The women’s hockey team did not perform satisfactorily in Rio but this time around Deep Grace is confident of a much better show.

The strong, stocky and excellent defender, who at 27 is already a veteran of more than 200 caps, is also considered a complete team player.

Deep Grace feels the mix of youth and experience will bode well for the team. Sitting relaxed on the AI 306 flight at New Delhi T3 Terminal, without bothering about the jeg lag (coming from Bangalure in the morning), the little dynamo spoke about Tokyo.

“The team has gained experience and is full of confidence ahead of the Tokyo Games. We hope to perform far better than at the Rio Olympics,” she said. Deep Grace further said that as a senior player and vice-captain, it has been her responsibility to ensure that youngsters in the team remained motivated during the Games.

The team has enjoyed good results in top tournaments recently, including winning a silver medal at the 2018 Asian Games and qualifying for back-to-back Olympics and Deep Grace said the experienced players are working in tandem with younger ones to augment the team’s strength.

Born to a modest tribal farmer’s family, Deep Grace is the youngest among three sons and two daughters of Charles and Jaimani Ekka.

Deep Grace had never touched a hockey stick till she was 12 years of age. She then joined Sundargarh Sports Hostel in 2006 and later switched to SAI Centre, Sundargarh, where she honed her skills between 2007 and 2010.

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Tej Kumar Xess, a relative, spotted her under the sports talent hunt scheme run by the state government. “I picked her on physical abilities, not hockey skills. I am delighted she has reached this far,” said a proud Xess, her first coach who guided her for a year after which gained admission to SAI -Sundargarh where PK Sarangi and later Lucila Ekka honed her skills.

Remembering Deep Grace, PK Sarangi said, “I am proud that she has achieved so many accolades. She is the ‘Lady Dilip Tirkey’ of Indian team. Frankly, she was not very impressive initially. But later with her passion and hard work she made rapid progress. Her strong build combined with good anticipation, recovery and explosive power has made her an integral part of the Indian team. I strongly believe that she can play for India for another four-five years.”

After joining SAI, soon Deep Grace became a part of the hostel team and then, different teams in the state. She was picked for the national camp after a series of impressive performances in the domestic circuit. She earned the distinction of becoming the first, and so far the only SAI- Sundargarh girl, donning the national jersey.

Making her India debut in 2011 in the Under-18 Asia Cup at Bangkok where India won the bronze medal, Deep Grace graduated to the senior team the same year for the tour of Argentina.

She also played a part in the Indian junior team’s historic feat of winning the country’s first bronze medal in the 2013 FIH Junior Women’s Hockey World Cup in Monchengladbach, Germany.

She has 202 international caps to her credit which include appearances at two Commonwealth Games (Glasgow 2014 and Gold Coast 2018), two Asian Games (Incheon 2014 and Jakarta 2018), one World Cup in 2018 and the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Among her prized possessions are a bronze medal from 2014 Asian Games and silver from the 2018 Asian Games as well as the Women’s Asia Cup gold medal (Japan 2017).

Currently employed by Western Railway (Mumbai), Deep Grace was awarded the Biju Patnaik Award last year and also received the Sportswoman of the Year accolade for team sports at the second Sportstar Aces Awards in 2019.

Asked if she expects a podium finish at Tokyo, Deep Grace said, “When we are participating in the Olympics, we definitely want to win a medal. We will take it one match at a time and play according to the opponent’s strength.”

She didn’t forget to add that every member of the team is determined to give her best at Tokyo.