Archive · 22 Aug 2026
Sunelita Toppo’s Journey From Bamboo Stick To World Cup
Sunelita Toppo is a hockey player from Kukuda village in Odisha.
She first played hockey after watching girls compete at a village festival.
Her family could not afford a real hockey stick, so she practised with a bamboo stick.
She also trained barefoot.
A coach named Dominic Toppo helped her learn the basics.
Although one hockey hostel rejected her, she kept working hard and entered formal training in 2018.
She later played in major national and junior international competitions.
In 2024, she joined India’s senior team and scored in India’s World Cup opening win over South Africa.
Sunelita Toppo scored in the 11th minute against South Africa as India began its World Cup campaign with a win.
The 19-year-old is the only player from Odisha in India’s World Cup squad.
Raised in a farming family in Kukuda, she began training barefoot with a bamboo stick because her family could not afford equipment.
After being rejected by the Panposh Hockey Hostel, she joined a Sports Authority of India training centre in 2018.
Toppo progressed through national competitions and junior teams before joining India’s senior team in 2024.
- Who
- Sunelita Toppo, an Indian hockey forward from Odisha.
- What
- She scored for India in its winning World Cup opener against South Africa and has risen from village hockey to the senior national team.
- When
- She scored on August 18; she joined India’s senior team in 2024.
- Where
- The early part of her journey took place in Kukuda and other training centres in Odisha, while the World Cup match was played in India.
- Why
- Her progress came through persistent training, coaching and performances in national and junior international competitions despite limited equipment and an early hostel rejection.
- Player
- Sunelita Toppo
- Birthplace
- Kukuda village, Rajgangpur block, Sundargarh district, Odisha
- Family background
- She grew up in a farming family.
- Early equipment
- Her father gave her a bamboo stick because the family could not afford a hockey stick or specialised equipment.
- World Cup contribution
- She scored in the 11th minute against South Africa.
- Training milestone
- She was selected for a Sports Authority of India training centre in 2018.
- International milestones
- She was part of India’s Junior Asia Cup-winning team in 2023 and joined the senior team in 2024.