Salima Tete Wins Emerging Women’s Player of the Year Award

Salima Tete, a midfielder for the Indian women’s hockey team, was named the AHF Emerging Player of the Year for her outstanding play in 2022.

This honour was given to the 20-year-old at the AHF General Assembly held in Mungyeong, Korea.

“I sincerely thank the Asian Hockey Federation for recognising the hard work that we have done on the ground over the years,” Salima said in a statement issued by Hockey India.

“But this journey would not have been possible without the constant support that I have received from my teammates and the coaching staff who have always given me the confidence to play according to my strengths and have given me the freedom to express myself.”

Bhola Nath Singh, general secretary of Hockey India, was given the Developing Sport Leader award by the Asian Hockey Federation.

Salima has been a key player for India for the past several years, and she was recently honoured as the Women’s Asia Cup’s Emerging Player of the Tournament in Muscat.

In 2016, she played in her first Test for the senior squad against Australia, and in 2018, she helped the national junior team earn silver in the third Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Salima competed for India at the Tokyo Olympics, where her team finished a respectable fourth. She was a member of the 2021 FIH Hockey Women’s Junior World Cup team that placed fourth in Potchefstroom, South Africa.

The midfielder also contributed to India’s bronze medal performances in the Birmingham Commonwealth Games and the FIH Women’s Hockey Pro League 2021/22.

The head of the Indian hockey association, Dilip Tirkey, expressed his delight for the young midfielder’s success.

“I congratulate Salima Tete for being honoured with this award. It always gives me immense pleasure to see our Indian players getting the recognition they deserve on the global stage.

“She has been an asset to the Indian team for the past couple of years now, despite being one of the youngest members of the team. We are confident that she will continue to soar even higher in the years to come,” he said.