K ARUMUGAM

He came. He saw. He transformed. It took almost three years for the Dutchman Sjoerd Marijne to bring our women to what they are now. The target, primarily, was getting into the quarterfinals of the Tokyo Olympics, but there were far more takeaways from the campaign after the team went through an ordeal by fire. One can unmistakably see coach Sjoerd Marijne’s stamp behind every moment in their journey that would change the face of women’s hockey forever.

Through the many trials and tribulations in the lead up to the Olympics, victory or defeat, the man in charge stood by the team. Marijne never lost the hope nor did he go overboard. Whatever he did was measured and methodical.

Achievement doesn’t come in a day and when things came together in Tokyo, it was the fruition of the blood sweat and tears of years of sacrifice and endeavour. Not to be forgotten here is this Dutchman’s touch.

It was culmination of a process that began in 2017, got accentuated during the long and winding lockdown spells before producing the results it sought.

Author  K Arumugam (l) with Sjoerd Marijne

In the days that preceded the Dutchman’s advent, vying with opponents from Europe and Pan America was fraught with fear. Famous names in their ranks, the lofty status of the teams and the robust nature of their challenge held ominous forebodings.

Marijne took over the reins from Neil Hawgood who trained the women’s team for the Rio edition. Landing in Bhopal for his first assignment, he started with overseeing the team in a five-match series against Belarus. At least six players made their international debut in the Series including forward Lalremsiami. He had a close look at how raw the team was and what was needed to be done, especially by circumventing the shortfalls in the system – but that’s a theme for another day.

His tutelage of the women’s team, however, took a meandering route. All of a sudden he was moved to guiding the men’s team before returning. After he did, the Indian women’s team grew from strength to strength. Wayne Lombard, the Australian, joined the fitness program, things began to move smoothly.

When it came to the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, the team was ranked No. 1 in the continent ahead of China and South Korea. But Rani Rampal’s team did not go beyond the silver medal. The outcome may have shocked him but Marijne concealed his feelings.

Indian girls celebrating after upsetting Australia in the quarters

The failure to win gold in Jakarta meant that the girls were compelled to endure a long and anxious process of Olympic qualification.

They proved equal to the task and booked a berth to Tokyo with victory over the USA in an Olympic qualifying double header in Bhubanewar, striking five goals in the first match and scoring a vital winner –from the blade of Rani – in the second after the Americans came back strongly. In doing so, the team proved they had the resilience and combativeness to eke out victory, not matter how challenging the circumstances.

Then came the lockdown which upset plans. But the team stood steadfast, turning seclusion into an opportunity to up fitness.

At the this point, Sjoerd made a decision that turned out to be the trump card. He recommended that his countrywoman Jenneke Schopman, who was axed by the US for failure in the Olympic qualification bid, be considered for the role of assistant coach. Thankfully, Hockey India accepted his proposal.

A master stroke, it surely was.

As the analytical coach, a gold medallist at both the Olympics and World Cup as a player, Jenneke took no time in gelling with the girls and she kept an eye on goalkeeping too.

When Tokyo dawned, and the first three matches were lost, it was Marijne’s measured approach that helped the team bounce back.

Celebrating success over the mighty Australians

“All you need is a single goal and that can change everything in a match” was his mantra when the going got tough.

Prophetic, the coach’s words proved. The girls were attentive for sure. They did what they needed to, scored the all-important goal albeit three minutes from time. That goal provided India vital oxygen to stay alive in the campaign. One match remained – against South Africa. Victory was a must, along with a favourable result in the pool’s concluding fixture between Great Britain and Ireland.

And so it came to pass. India put it across South Africa 4-3, endured an anxious wait and then rejoiced when GB beat Ireland. The team hit its target – a quarterfinal place.

The best in Sjoerd came about in the next three matches and it catapulted the Indian women’s team into the country’s collective sports consciousness. When asked how the transformation occurred, the Dutchman said: “They knew I am angry”. It meant, inter alia, the players were psychologically bound to the coach.

With this approach, the Australians, unbeaten so far, were stopped in their tracks, thanks to Gurjit Kaur’s penalty corner strike in a 1-0 win that secured a hitherto unimaginable place in the semi-finals.

Gurjit, out of form till then, far, scored the all-important goal. She failed at the set-piece till that fateful quarterfinal and when queried about the same, Marijne always stood by her saying “she is the best drag flicker in the world.” It was difficult to believe that to be true going by her wayward attempts till that point. But it retrospect, it throws some light on the team’s travails in the first phase of the campaign.

But Sjoerd never stopped believing. He sent out a strong message to Gurjit that he was very much behind her. And she responded in style. “Gurjit is the best drag flicker in the world” he thundered.

The victory over Australia opened the eyes of an overjoyed nation. His twitter account followers jumped to at least 300 times! His cool reply on that day to cinestar Shah Rukh Khan’s post, mentioning him as Real Coach spoke of his very persona. However, Marijne, on his part, controlled emotions. He was sage-like in his countenance. Perhaps the result of professionalism.

“I gave the girls two hours to celebrate. It’s your journey. Enjoy for a couple of hours. Then forget everything. Work for the next match,” he told them.

Photo by Seshadri Sukumar

Argentina were India’s semi-final adversaries. The South Americans were imposing opponents but Marijne was cool in his approach. “Its your journey. You relish. You decide what you want to be”.

The Indian girls went down 1-2 with a valiant performance. All was not lost, however. The bronze medal was on offer but defending champions Great Britain stood in the way. He said to them: ‘In life you don’t get another chance. Here, you have got another.”

Simple words. But laden with emotion. These words worked wonders.

The pool encounter ended 4-1 in favour of the British but the Indian girls had come a long way after that. The new-found character showed itself in a rip-roaring contest. India fought back from a 0-2 deficit to lead 3-2 but bowed in the end to the deposed champions 3-4 in the end.

Emotions took over. The girls wept on the turf and Marijne, the thorough profession that he is, also melted in the moment. A steely coach he may be, but Marijne, after all is only human and he couldn’t hold back the tears either. The scenes were touching and it drew profound commiserations of the GB players who attempted to comfort their crestfallen rivals.

Marijne hadn’t quite recovered when he attended the media conference in the mixed zone and broke down again as he addressed journalists. The tears flowed down his cheek and there was a lump in his throat. It was a moment deeply etched in memory. That day India understood the theme of the Olympics – ‘United by Emotions’.

On that day I could not resist posting this on twitter: “I have never seen in my long reporting career, a chief coach crying when interacting with journalists, that coming after crying with the team for almost 20 mins. Its not only girls, you also won the nation’s heart.”

He revealed that the bronze medal match was his last for the Indian team and that he would be returning to the Netherlands to be with his family. “My family is first priority for me”. It was a poignant moment to realize this gentleman was set to move from what was dear to his heart for the last several years.

The girls would now be left in what he believes is the capable hands of his reliable deputy Jenneke, he revealed. Still, you couldn’t help but feel the team lost something dear.

The coming year will be full of challenges. The World Cup, Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games dot the calendar.

Expectations will soar after the Tokyo saga and this is where Marijne’s teachings, Jenneke’s tutelage notwithstanding, could hold the girls in good stead

Note: His flight is 3.30 hrs IST on 11th Aug. He will be joining Tilburg Hockey Club’s men’s team as Chief Coach and Technical Director.