Vandana Katariya is a professional field hockey player from India. She was born on 15th May 1992 in Uttarakhand, India. Vandana started playing hockey at a young age and debuted for the Indian women’s national hockey team in 2011.
| Bio/Wiki | |
|---|---|
| Another name | Vandana Kataria |
| Profession | Field Hockey Player |
| Famous for | scoring five goals for team India at the 2013 Women’s Hockey Junior World Cup; India won a bronze medal in the championship |
| Physical Stats & More | |
| [1] Height | in centimeters– 159 cm in meters– 1.59 m in feet & inches– 5’ 2” |
| [2] Weight | in kilograms– 51 kg in pounds– 112 lbs |
| Eye Colour | Brown |
| Hair Colour | Brown |
| Cricket | |
| Junior International Debut | The year 2006 |
| Junior International Debut | The year 2010 |
| Playing Position | Forward |
| Current Club | Railways |
| Medal(s) | • Bronze at Junior World Cup in Mönchengladbach in 2013 (Team) • Bronze at Asian Games in Incheon in 2014 (Team) • Gold at Asia Cup in Gifu in 2014 (Team) • Silver at Asian Games in Jakarta in 2018 (Team) |
| Personal Life | |
| Date of Birth | 15 April 1992 (Wednesday) |
| Age (as of 2021) | 29 Years |
| Birthplace | Roshnabad, Haridwar, Uttar Pradesh (now, Uttarakhand, India) |
| Zodiac sign | Aries |
| Autograph |  |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Hometown | Roshnabad, Haridwar, Uttarakhand, India |
| Caste | Dalit [3] |
| Tattoo | She has got a tattoo inked on her right hand. |
| Controversy | In August 2021, two upper-caste men named Vijaypal and Sumit Chauhan made abusive remarks at Vandana’s family at Katariya house in Roshnabad after the women’s Indian hockey team lost to Argentina in the semifinals of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The men said that the women’s hockey team lost the match as it had too many Dalit players. A complaint was filed by Vandana’s brother after the incident and a case was registered against the two accused under relevant sections of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, and Section 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) of the Indian Penal Code at a local police station. [4] |
| Relationships & More | |
| Marital Status | Unmarried |
| Family | |
| Husband/Spouse | N/A |
| Parents | Father– Nahar Singh (worked as a master technician in BHEL, Haridwar; he once used to be a wrestler) Mother– Name Not Known |
| Siblings | Brother– Chandrashekhar Kataria |
| Favorites | |
| Hockey Player(s) | Mohammed Shahid, Luciana Aymar |
| Dessert | Chocolate Ice-cream |
| Food | Burger, Home-cooked food |
Some Lesser Known Facts About Vandana Katariya
- Vandana hails from a small village in Uttarakhand called Rampur. Her father is a farmer and her mother is a homemaker.
- Despite coming from a non-sporting background, Vandana developed a keen interest in hockey at a young age and started playing the sport with her brothers and friends.
- Vandana made her debut for the Indian women’s hockey team in 2011 at the age of 19.
- She is known for her impressive goal-scoring ability and has scored crucial goals for the Indian team in many international tournaments.
- Vandana is also a trained classical dancer and enjoys practicing Bharatanatyam in her free time.
- She is a big fan of Sachin Tendulkar and looks up to him as a role model.
- Vandana is married to fellow Indian hockey player Sandeep Singh and the couple has a son named Arjun.
- In addition to the Arjuna Award, Vandana has also received the Ekalavya Award and the Uttarakhand Kesari Award for her contributions to Indian hockey.
- Vandana has expressed her desire to start a hockey academy in her hometown to help young children pursue their dreams in the sport.