"The loss in the Tokyo semi-final still comes to mind" - Hardik Singh determined to go the distance at the 2024 Paris Olympics
Hardik Singh continues to be nagged by the pain of a semifinal loss to Belgium in the Tokyo Olympics despite India's subsequent historic bronze-medal win three years ago.
However, The 2023 Hockey India Player of the Year believes that the team is now more equipped to handle the pressure of an Olympic knock-out game.
The immensely talented midfielder told Sportskeeda during an exclusive interview that the boys could have gone further in Tokyo given that the Indians were in the lead at one point in the big semifinal game.
Even as Alexander Hendrickx, who ended up with 14 goals, proved to be Belgium's premier drag-flicker at Tokyo, it was Loick Luypaert who gave the Red Lions an early second-minute lead off a short corner in the semifinals.
Unfazed by the early reverse, the Indians veered ahead by a 2-1 margin six minutes later thanks to back-to-goals from Harmanpreet Singh and Mandeep Singh as Hardik recalled.
"I do have some wonderful memories of the Olympics but the loss in the semifinal at Tokyo still comes to mind. We were leading Belgium 2-1 in the semifinals and then the game slipped away as we maybe switched off for a bit. That's part of sport and part of life but it still hurts to have lost the match," he stated with a distinct sense of agony in his voice.
Alexander Hendrickx's hattrick undid Graham Reid's chargers who went down 2-5 on the day before going on to beat Germany to win the bronze medal.
"We now know the kind of environment we will face in an Olympic quarterfinal or semifinal and we need to use that to our advantage in Paris," the 25-year-old stressed.
India's early exit in the 2023 Hockey World Cup following an injury to Hardik Singh who was in riveting form at the start of the tournament is also a "scar" that refuses to heal according to the player from Jalandhar.
Hardik scored a stunning goal against Spain to help the Indians to a 2-0 win but sustained an injury during the match against England. The Indians who finished second in their pool were forced to play a crossover against New Zealand in order to advance to the quarterfinals.
"We were leading against New Zealand in the World Cup crossover game as well but we were not able to control the tempo and played into the hands of the opposition," explained Hardik who could play no part in the match owing to a hamstring injury.
"It does remain a scar for me as I feel if I wasn't injured I could have done my bit," said Hardik Singh as he paused to recollect the details. "Raj Kumar Pal, who came in as a substitute for me, also played really well. At the end of the day, in a team game, everyone's contribution is a necessity."
The Indians who were ahead 2-1 before the long breather and 3-2 at the end of the third quarter lost the shootout 4-5 after New Zealand drew level in the 50th minute of play in the crossover match.
"We will finish on the podium and change the color of the medal in the upcoming Olympics" - Hardik Singh
While expressing his gratitude to Hockey India for his recent Player of the Year award, Hardik Singh asserted that in a team game, individual achievements do not count for much.
Hardik, who made his international debut in 2018, added that winning gold at the upcoming Paris Games is the thought uppermost in his mind right now.
"The Player of the Year award shows me that I am doing the right thing for the team. In a team, one cannot focus on individual achievements. I want to do my bit to win matches for the team and there will be no greater joy than finishing first on the podium in the Paris Olympics," Hardik Singh stated.
"I am grateful to Hockey India for the trust and confidence they have in me. We will finish on the podium and change the colour of the medal as well at the upcoming Olympics. We will take it match by match and aim to improve our standards with every match," Hardik added.
Looking ahead to India's Olympic campaign, Hardik Singh opined that the team will need to get better as the tournament progresses.
"If we keep raising the bar during the pool stages, we will be in top form during the quarterfinals. Our first aim is to qualify for the quarterfinals and then treat the quarterfinals as a normal game," he added.