| Vandana Katariya is an accomplished Indian field hockey player. |
| She hails from Roshnabad, Haridwar, and was raised in a middle-class family. |
| Katariya displayed sports talent from a young age and aspired to build a career in sports. |
| As a child, she practiced hockey moves discreetly using tree branches far from her home. |
| Her father, a former wrestler, supported her passion for hockey. |
| In 2006, Vandana debuted in junior international hockey, progressing to the senior Indian team in 2010. |
| She excelled in the 2013 Junior World Cup, where she led India to a bronze medal as the top scorer. |
| During the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, she celebrated her 100th cap playing against Canada. |
| In the 2015 FIH Hockey World League, Vandana emerged as the tournament's top scorer with 11 goals, aiding her team's victory. |
| She captained the Indian women's hockey team in the 2016 Test Series against Australia. |
| Vandana represented India in the 2016 Rio Olympics, marking a significant milestone. |
| She was recognized as the player of the tournament at the 2018 Asian Champion Trophy, winning a silver medal for India. |
| Furthermore, she participated in the Hockey World Cup in the same year. |
| In 2020, Vandana's qualification for the Tokyo Olympics made her the first Indian woman to score an Olympic hat-trick in hockey. |
| Notably, she lost her father shortly before the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where she dedicated herself to training. |
| Vandana enjoys spending quality time with her family during her leisure hours. |
| Her most cherished moment in hockey was winning the bronze medal at the World Cup in Germany, where she made her late father proud. |
| In 2014, she received Hockey India's prestigious Player of the Year Award. |
| Vandana earned high praise from coach Roelant Oltmans, who commended her as one of the top forwards globally. |
| On October 31, 2023, during the Women’s Asian Champions Trophy in Ranchi, Jharkhand, Vandana celebrated her 300th appearance for the Indian National Hockey Team, a historic achievement. |
