EXCLUSIVE: ETV Bharat interacts with jubilant family of Indian women's hockey team player Monika Malik

There is an atmosphere of celebration at national team player Monika Malik's home after the Indian women's team's quarterfinal win against Australia.

Chandigarh: In the Tokyo Olympics, the Indian women's hockey team defeated Australia 1-0 to enter the the semi-finals. The Indian women's hockey team has reached the last four for the first time. With this, they have created a history.

There is an atmosphere of celebration at national team player Monika Malik's home after the Indian women's team's quarterfinal win against Australia.

Monika Malik, a resident of Chandigarh, wanted to make her country proud in hockey since childhood. Her dream of winning an Olympic medal is now just a few moments away from realisation. As soon as the Indian women's hockey team qualified for the semi-finals, people of her localities started rushing to her house to congratulate her family.

Monika's elder brother Ashish Malik said, "The happiness of the whole family is boundless. Everyone is very happy with the achievement of my sister and we are hoping that the Indian women's hockey team will come back home with the gold medal."

Monika Malik has been away from home for the last five months. She had been training at the Bengaluru Sports Authority of India regional centre for the Olympics. In all these months Monika used to talk to her mother over the phone.

Earlier, she had played at the Rio Olympics. This is her second Olympics.

Before making it to the national team, the Chandigarh girl played hockey for her state at the national level right from her school days.

A native of Sonipat, Monika took up hockey after receiving encouragement from her father Takdeer Singh. Monika stepped forward during her eighth-grade studies. It turned out that her father wanted her to pursue wrestling, but seeing her daughter's desire to play hockey, he encouraged Monika to play the stick sport.