Nikki Pradhan is an Indian hockey player who plays at the defender position.
Wiki/Biography
Nikki Pradhan was born on Wednesday, December 8, 1993.30 years old; As of 2023) is located in Hesel village in Murhu district of Khunti district, the tribal heartland of Jharkhand. Her zodiac sign is Sagittarius. Nikki was born at St. Petersburg in Goilkera block in Pashchimi Singhbhum district of Jharkhand. I finished my schooling at St. Paul Middle School.
physical appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 5″
Weight (approx.): 50kg
Hair Color: black
Eye Color: dark brown
Picture measurements (approx.): 32-28-30
Nikki Pradhan
family
parents and siblings
Nikki Pradhan’s father Soma Pradhan is a Bihar Police constable and Nikki’s mother Jitan Devi is a housewife.
Nikki Pradhan’s father Soma Pradhan and her mother Jitan Devi
Nikki has three sisters named Kanti Pradhan, Shashi Pradhan and Sarina Pradhan. She also has a brother named Govind Pradhan. Shashi Pradhan is also a former hockey player and has been working as a ticket checker at Hatia Railway Station since 2009.
Nikki Pradhan (far left) and her siblings
other relatives
Former Indian field hockey player Pushpa Pradhan is Nikki Pradhan’s cousin.
husband
Nikki Pradhan is single.
job
In 2011, Nikki Pradhan participated in the Jharkhand National Games, also known as the 34th Indian National Games. The tournament was held in Ranchi and Nikki performed well in the tournament to participate in the national camp held in 2012. Nikki first represented India at the Under-17 Asia Cup in Bangkok in 2011. In 2012, she was selected for the Indian hockey team for the Under-21 Women’s Hockey Junior Asia Cup held in Bangkok, Thailand. Team India won the silver medal in the final of the tournament. In 2015, Nikki was selected for the national camp. In 2016, she made her international hockey debut on a tour of South Africa. Later, Nikki was selected as a member of the Indian women’s hockey team to represent India at the Rio Olympics in Brazil where the Indian team placed 6th.
Nikki Pradhan (seated right corner) with the Indian women’s hockey team at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
Nikki Pradhan was also a part of the Indian squad for the 2017 Women’s Hockey Asia Cup held in Kakamigahara, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. The Indian women’s team won the championship by defeating China 4-1 in the final.
Nikki Pradhan (bottom row, third from left) with her teammates after winning the 2017 Women’s Hockey Asia Cup.
She was also part of the Indian team that won a silver medal at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games. Nikki also represented India at the 2018 Women’s Asian Champions Trophy in Donghae, South Korea, where India won a silver medal in the final.
Nikki Pradhan (bottom row, fourth from right) with the squad selected for the 2018 Women’s Asian Champions Trophy.
Nikki also helped the team to victory in the 2019 Hiroshima FIH Women’s Series Finals. In 2022, she represented India at the 22nd Commonwealth Games held in Birmingham, England. Team India won the bronze medal in the final of the tournament.
Nikki Pradhan poses with the 2022 Commonwealth Games bronze medal.
In 2023, Nikki Pradhan was selected in the Indian hockey team for the 19th Asian Games held in Hangzhou, China. The Indian hockey team defeated Japan 2-1 and won the bronze medal of the tournament.
Nikki Pradhan after winning bronze medal at 19th Asian Games 2023
Facts/Quiz
- Nikki Pradhan considers former Indian hockey player and Olympian Sylvanus Dung Dung to be her biggest inspiration in hockey.
- Nikki Pradhan’s cousin Pushpa Pradhan was invited to the school for a motivational session and Nikki was a student at that time. Pushpa gave a speech sharing her experience of traveling to New Jersey by plane.
- Pushpa Pradhan’s speech at Nikki’s school about her flying experience further attracted Nikki to join hockey professionally as she had always wanted to travel by plane. I even asked the teacher.
Is she telling the truth? Did he really get on a plane and go to America?”
- She was initially afraid of hockey because of her skinny body. She was afraid she would break a bone while playing sports. But as she gained confidence, she started playing by making hockey sticks out of bamboo.
- In 2004, Nikki joined Rajyastariya Balika Hockey Center in Bariatu and began receiving professional hockey training.
- Dasrath Mahato was an assistant teacher at Pilaul Middle School who gave Nikki her early hockey training.
- Dasrath Mahato was the one responsible for Nikki’s hockey career and told her parents.
Now it’s my responsibility to make her feel better.’ And we couldn’t say no to a professional. He gave her shoes and a cane.”
- It was her family’s dream to one day fly, and Nikki made that dream come true in 2023 when she took her siblings and extended family on a trip to Puri.
Nikki Pradhan’s Instagram post about flying with her family for the first time
- Nikki had to face many challenges during her initial training as she belonged to a very backward community. She said in an interview:
We are five children, and we didn’t have (a lot of) money to make a living at the time. “We used to play by making sticks out of broken pieces, bamboo sticks, or any material.”
- Nikki was the first female hockey player from Jharkhand to represent India at the Olympics.
- In 2023, Nikki Pradhan completed 150 international appearances during the FIH Hockey Professional League 2023-24.
