"I watch my clips of the matches in which I scored goals” - Hockey player Sukhjeet Singh opens up on his preparations for Paris Olympics 2024
Ahead of the start of the Paris Olympics 2024, the Indian men’s hockey team forward Sukhjeet Singh shared that before taking part in big matches, he watches his goals from previous games to get mentally prepared and boost his confidence.
Having scored 22 goals in 70 international games so far, Sukhjeet is making his Olympic debut at the Paris Olympics 2024 alongside four other debutants in the Indian men’s hockey team, namely Sanjay, Abhishek, Rajkumar Pal, and Jarmanpreet Singh.
"I watch my clips of the matches in which I scored goals before big matches. This increases my confidence and I try to do better in the next match. My previous performance makes me mentally stronger,” Sukhjeet Singh told PTI Bhasha.
India are scheduled to start its Paris 2024 Olympics campaign with New Zealand on July 27. Later, they will compete with Argentina on July 29, Ireland on July 30, Belgium on August 1, and Australia on August 2. Sukhjeet, however, is physically and mentally unfazed.
"I am not feeling any pressure at all. We have played big tournaments, so we know how to handle pressure. We are confident of playing well against big teams in the pool as our preparation has been really good," he added.
“If we have any problem, we talk to them” - Sukhjeet Singh
Sukhjeet Singh started his international career with six goals in his debut competition, FIH Pro League 2022. Later, he accumulated three goals in the World Cup 2023 in India.
Subsequently, he was also part of the Indian team that clinched the gold medal in the Asian Games in 2023 in China. He stated if the new-comers have any performance-related problems, senior players are always there to guide them.
"Senior players in our team, Shree Bhai (PR Sreejesh), Manpreet, Harmanpreet have a lot of experience. They tell us about their experiences and motivate us to perform well. If we have any problem, we talk to them," he said.
Though Sukhjeet’s present focus is on his preparation for the Games, he is looking forward to meeting Australian hockey forward Blake Govers at the Athletes Village in Paris.