Indian hockey striker Dilpreet Singh, who was training at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) Center in Bangalore as part of the potential major-male group, plans to make the cut in the Round of 16 final that he will represent to India in the prestigious Tokyo Olympics, set to begin in July.The 21-year-old striker said that since there are no major competitions in 2020 affected by the epidemic, he takes every training session as an opportunity to make a strong case for a place on the Olympic team. We don't want to worry about factors that are not under our control. I don't want to wait for the chance to play a match for India to defend myself but to make the most of the opportunity here in the camp to show my skills and prove myself. "We give 100 percent of each training session," Dilpreet said in a statement.Speaking of his development and the opportunity for him to train with senior players again in the camp, the youngster added: "I've been working on my technical game. I improved my end. Watching the older players playing and spending time with them helps the younger players gain confidence and of course improve." We ask our veteran players for advice and guidance, and they have been of great help to us at all times. "Dilpreet, who was part of the teams that won the silver and bronze medals at the Breda Hockey Champions Cup 2018 and Asian Games 2018, respectively, returned to the junior starting group after the 2018 World Cup.Speaking of the omission, the boy from Amritsar said, “I was very upset with myself because I was a part of almost every major tournament and I was looking forward to appearing in the Olympics as well. But the omission of the senior core group affected me so much and made me realize that I had squandered the golden opportunity and I had to work harder. "However, a year later, after doing well in potential youth basics, Dilpreet was called up for the FIH Pro League match against World Champion Belgium."I started from scratch. I trained hard in the junior camp to at least get a place in the first team. He used to follow every first-team training exercise. I was in constant contact with the top players for that and asked them for guidance, and finally, in 2020, I'm back." "To the main group of the FIH Hockey Pro League. The postponement of the Olympic Games gave players like me the opportunity to improve the situation and make the most of it. The choice of teams is not in my hands, I focus on giving 100 percent on the field and improving day after day."Also Read: The 47th FIH Statutory Congress will happen in Delhi
Indian hockey touched a new peak on Wednesday, making a virtual clean sweep of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) awards, with drag-flick sensation Harmanpreet Singh being crowned the 'FIH Player of the Year' in the men's category, PR Sreejesh winning the 'Goalkeeper of the Year' award and the men's hockey chief coach Graham Reid getting the 'FIH Coach of the Year' award. Former Indian women's hockey chief coach Sjoerd Marijne got the 'FIH Coach of the Year' award in the women's category. The voting-based annual awards had six Indian players and two coaches in men's and women's categories. This is the first time that all nominees from India have won the prestigious awards in their respective categories. Drag-flick sensation Harmanpreet Singh was the top scorer in India's bronze medal-winning performance at the Tokyo Olympic Games. He was nominated for the award along with Belgium's Arthur Van Doren and Alexander Hendrickx as well as Australia's Jake Whetton, Tim Brand and Aran Zalewski. Drag-flicker Gurjit Kaur won the 'FIH Player of The Year' award in the women's category. She was nominated alongside Argentina's Agustina Gorzelany and Agustina Albertarrio. The other nominees for the award were Netherlands' Eva De Goede, Frederique Matla and Maria Verschoor. Sreejesh, who won the 'Goalkeeper of the Year' award, had come up with a career-best performance at the Olympic Games. The other nominees in this category were Belgium's Vincent Vanasch and Australia's Andrew Charter. Goalkeeper Savita won the award for the best goalkeeper in the female category. Savita, who was also the joint-vice captain of the women's team at the Olympics, was outstanding in guarding India's post and played an instrumental role in the team finishing fourth in Tokyo. The other nominees in this category were Great Britain's Maddie Hinch and Argentina's Belen Succi. 2020-21 FIH #HockeyStarsAwards results announced! Olympic Success Wave continues for India with @TheHockeyIndia winning big.A record number of almost 300’000 fans casted their votes for this year's Awards.CONGRATULATIONS to all winners and nominees!— International Hockey Federation (@FIH_Hockey) October 6, 2021In the FIH 'Rising Star of the Year' category for men, Vivek Sagar Prasad won the award for the second consecutive time. He was nominated along with South Africa's Mustaphaa Cassiem and Australia's Sean Findlay. In the 'FIH Rising Star of the Year' category for women, Sharmila Devi won the award with maximum votes ahead of Great Britain's Fiona Crackles and Argentina's Valentina Raposo. Graham Reid got the 'FIH Coach of the Year' award. He was nominated along with Australia's Colin Batch and Belgium's Shane McLeod. Congratulating the award winners, Hockey India president Gyanendro Ningombam said, "This is a great moment for Indian hockey as all our Indian nominees for the FIH Stars Awards have been announced winners. After the historic performances in Tokyo by both the Indian men`s and women`s hockey teams, the support from Indian fans from across the globe has been overwhelming. We thank everyone who supported the nominees by voting for them. "This is a big moment for us and these awards will definitely inspire future generations to take up the sport professionally. On behalf of Hockey India, I congratulate all the award winners and wish them success in their future endeavours."Also Read- Sagar Rana murder case: Delhi court denies bail to Olympic wrestler Sushil Kumar
