"Unbelievable feeling to win the bronze medal at the Olympics" - Manpreet Singh recalls top moment of his career after 350 appearances
India’s seasoned midfielder Manpreet Singh recently went down the memory lane about his side’s stupendous outing in the Tokyo Olympics back in 2021. Under Mandeep’s leadership, India finished on the podium on the biggest stage after a long wait of 41 years.
India defeated Germany 5-4 in the bronze medal match. Trailing 1-3, India found themselves in all sorts of trouble. However, Simranjeet Singh (2 goals), Harmanpreet Singh, Hardik Singh, and Rupinder Pal Singh scored to save the day for their team.
India also won their 12th medal in hockey in the Olympics. Mandeep places the win on top in his list of five most memorable victories.
“It was an unbelievable feeling to win the bronze medal at the Olympics; that had always been my dream since I started playing for the national team. I felt immensely proud when we finally clinched an Olympic medal in hockey after 41 years. It is a significant achievement and will always remain close to my heart,” Manpreet was quoted as saying by Hockey India’s official website.
Manpreet, who took up the sport as a profession to support his family, recently made his 350th appearance for India while playing in the FIH Hockey Pro League 2023-24 match against Spain at the Kalinga Hockey Stadium in Bhubaneswar.
"The feeling of winning the gold is incomparable" - Manpreet Singh
Manpreet also recalled the time when India won the gold medal in the Asian Games 2014, which took place in Korea. The final between India and Pakistan went right down to the wire.
After the scoreline read 1-1 in the stipulated time, India defeated Pakistan 4-2 in the shootouts.
“That was my first major Gold Medal with the Indian Men’s Hockey Team, and winning it as a junior player ignited the fire in my belly. The feeling of winning the gold is incomparable, and I have been chasing it ever since,” Manpreet added.
Manpreet also fondly recalled his silver medals in the Commonwealth Games 2014 in Glasgow and Men's Asia Cup 2017 in Bangladesh.