Ankitha Suresh has been selected as Assistant National Coach by Hockey India for the Indian Senior Women’s Hockey Team. She is now a member of coaching staff who is training senior hockey players at the ongoing National Coaching Camp till Jan. 21.

She will represent India as Assistant Coach and will be a part of the Indian National Hockey team (Senior Women’s Hockey) that will leave for New Zealand on Jan. 22. The New Zealand tour will begin from Jan. 23 till Feb. 6. Ankitha will be a part of the 26-member team headed by Chief Coach Sojero Marjine and Analytical Coach Janneke Schopman. 20 players are also part of the team.

Daughter of B.A. Suresh and B.S. Dharmavathi, residents of Madikeri, Honnampadi Ankitha Suresh started her sports career as an athlete and had won medals in 3,000 meter and 5,000 meter running races in national levels. While studying in Junior College in Madikeri, she stumbled upon hockey and her passion for the sport grew after she joined SAI Hockey Hostel in Madikeri for training.

She has represented Karnataka in the National level five times (twice in senior level and thrice in junior level). In the University-level (Mangalore University), she has won three Gold medals and two Bronze (Annamalai University). She has participated in All India Inter-University Tournaments five times.

Ankitha also has the distinction of being the one among the five women from Karnataka who have been selected for the Level-3 coaching course offered by Hockey India as well as only Level-2 Technical Official to be selected from India and from Karnataka for the Fédération Internationale de Hockey (FIH) World Cup Women’s Hockey.

She is currently working as hockey coach in Department of Youth Empowerment and Sports (DYES) at Ponnampet Sports Hostel and will join as national coach. A post-graduate diploma holder in e-Finance and Gym Instruction, she holds Masters in Commerce and has a Diploma in Sports Coaching (National Institute of Sports).

“N. Muthu Kumar, my coach in SAI Hockey Hostel, Madikeri, is my role model and inspiration,” she fondly says and feels grateful for all the coaches that she has worked with throughout her career. She specially mentions the name of Ponachanna Srinivas who taught her the game of hockey.

“Hockey Karnataka supported me to do the course (Hockey India Level-1, Level-2 and FIH Level-1 and 2 and now I am promoted to do FIH Level-3) conducted by Hockey India and FIH Hockey Academy,” she adds.