The fifth-place finish at the 2026 women’s FIH Hockey World Cup — the best performance ever by an Indian team — deserves praise.For the players, however, there is no time to celebrate and rest on their laurels, with the Asian Games right around the corner. Onwards and upwards is the theme in the squad, which departed for Japan after completing a training camp at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) campus here.For forward Navneet Kaur, defender Lalremsiami Hmarzote, goalkeeper Savita Punia and skipper Salima Tete, the goal is clear: to win a first gold at the continental event since 1982.The players were in an upbeat mood during a media interaction arranged by SAI here. Excerpts:— Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) September 8, 2026You had a break of just a week after the World Cup. What did you do during this period?Navneet: It was not a week’s break; it was a three-day break. We took rest. You have to take care of your recovery, along with your diet. We did go out into the city for a day. For the most part, it was all about taking care of our diet.Did the players get time to celebrate the fifth-place finish at the World Cup?Navneet: No, I think celebrations should happen after we win a medal. Of course, we did well to finish fifth, but we wanted to win a medal. The next tournament — the Asian Games — is even more important. We are focused on that. We will celebrate after that.How much work have you been doing on finishing? Have you done anything different in the last year?Navneet: Since (head coach) Sjoerd Marijne arrived, we have been focusing on scoring. As strikers, we have been training separately. We have been training for field goals, to create something in the ‘D’, or to create penalty corner chances. We have been training for all that. We have Taeke Taekema with us as the drag-flick coach, but he also helps with hitting. We have been training with him as well.What is your next target?Navneet: Our next target is the Asian Games. We have been preparing for it for four years. We will do our best there. Our team has gained a lot of confidence from the World Cup. We will enter the Asian Games with that confidence.The European teams in the World Cup were very good, and we performed well against them. As a player, you feel good when you have performed well against good teams. Of course, there are good teams in the Asian Games too. There are also a few lower-ranked teams. It is very important to have that belief as a team and as a player. With that belief, we will go to the Asian Games.