Namita Toppo (born 4 June 1995) is an Indian former

field hockey Field hockey is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with ten outfield players and a goalkeeper. Teams must drive a round hockey ball by hitting it with a hockey stick towards the rival team's shooting ci ...

player. She hails from

Sundargarh District Sundargarh District is a district in the northwestern part of Odisha state in eastern India. Sundargarh district is bounded by Raigarh district of Chhattisgarh in the west, Jashpur district of Chhattisgarh in the North-West, Simdega district o ...

Odisha Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of ...

. On 27 December 2020, she was conferred with the 28th Eklavya award. Toppo was honoured for her performance from April 1, 2018 to March 31, 2020 at both national and international levels.

Career

Namita Toppo, born on 4 June 1995, is a midfielder and a product of Sports Hostel, Panposh,

Rourkela Rourkela is a planned city located in the northern district Sundargarh of Odisha, India. It is the third-largest Urban Agglomeration in Odisha after Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. It is situated about west of state capital Bhubaneswar and is surro ...

. Toppo made her state debut in 2007 and was then selected for Girls U-18 Asia Cup in

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estima ...

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

where she was part of Bronze medal winning squad. Toppo represented the senior team for the first time in 2012 in the FIH champions challenge in Dublin. Namita was felicitated with Asuntra Lakra Award for the upcoming player of the year Award for 2014 by Hockey India. She made her 150th appearance for the national team against

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

in 2018 women's hockey world cup in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. Namita was part of Olympic squad which represented India in the summer Olympics after 36 years. Namita Toppo, was one of the four players, who were made to sit on the floor of the train while returning to their home from Rio Olympics.

Awards and achievements

Namita has represented National Hockey team of India in more than 150 matches. On 27 December 2020, she was conferred with the prestigious 28th

Ekalavya Award The Ekalavya Award is given by the several state government including Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana etc. The award is given to native players for outstanding performance in sports or even education by few states like Rajasthan Rajasthan ...

for her contribution to the game. Toppo was honoured for her performance from April 1, 2018 to March 31, 2020 at both national and international levels. * Namita was felicitated by Mahanadi Coalfields limited in August 2014, with a cash award of Rs 1 lakh for helping India win bronze medal in the 2013 Junior women Hockey World Cup in Germany. * Odisha government announced a cash award of Rs 75,000 for Namita for helping India win women`s bronze medal in the 17th Asian Games at Incheon. * She was felicitated with the Asunta Lakra Award for Upcoming Player of the Year 2014 (Women Under-21) and a purse of Rs 10 lakh by Hockey India in its annual award function at New Delhi on 28 March 2015. * Received a special incentive of Rs 10 Lakh by Odisha Mining Corporation in 2016, for her participation in Rio Olympic Games.

International

* Helped India win the bronze medal in the Girls U-18 Asia Cup Hockey Championship at

(25 September 2011). * Represented Indian senior women`s hockey team in the FIH World League (Round 2) at

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House ...

from 18 to 24 February 2013. * She was a part of the Indian team that won the bronze medal for the first time in Women`s Junior Hockey World Cup at Monchengladbach in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

on 4 July 2013. * Represented the country in the 3rd Women's Asian Champions Trophy in

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

in 2013. * Represented the country in the 8th Women's Asia Cup in

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

in 2013. * Represented the country in the FIH Champions Challenge 1 in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

in 2014. * She was a part of the Indian team that won the women's hockey test series 6–0 against Malaysia held at

Kualalumpur , anthem = ''Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , sub ...

from 9 to 17 June 2014. * She was a member of the Indian women hockey team that won the bronze medal in the 17th Asian Games at

Incheon Incheon (; ; or Inch'ŏn; literally "kind river"), formerly Jemulpo or Chemulp'o (제물포) until the period after 1910, officially the Incheon Metropolitan City (인천광역시, 仁川廣域市), is a city located in northwestern South Kore ...

(South Korea) on 1 October 2014.

National

* Represented Orissa in the Women's National Games in 2010 (Runners up) * Represented Orissa in the Sub-junior National Championships in 2008 (3rd position). * Represented Orissa in the National Inter-School Games in 2008 (3rd) and 2011 (Champion). * Represented Orissa in the National School Games in 2009 (Champion) and 2011 * Represented Orissa in the National Rural Games in 2009 (Champion). * Participated in the Junior Nehru Cup Tournament in 2007, 2008, 2009 (Champions), 2010 (3rd position). * Represented Orissa in the Senior National Championship in 2011 (3rd position).

References

External links

*
Namita Toppo
at

Hockey India Hockey India plans, directs and conducts all the activities for both men and women hockey in India. It is recognized by the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, Govt. of India as the sole body responsible towards promoting Hockey in India. It w ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Toppo, Namita 1995 births Living people Indian female field hockey players 21st-century Indian women 21st-century Indian people Asian Games medalists in field hockey Asian Games silver medalists for India Asian Games bronze medalists for India Female field hockey midfielders Field hockey players at the 2014 Asian Games Field hockey players at the 2016 Summer Olympics Field hockey players at the 2018 Asian Games Field hockey players from Odisha Medalists at the 2014 Asian Games Medalists at the 2018 Asian Games Olympic field hockey players for India People from Sundergarh district Sportswomen from Odisha Field hockey players at the 2020 Summer Olympics Field hockey players at the 2014 Commonwealth Games Field hockey players at the 2018 Commonwealth Games Commonwealth Games competitors for India