Young Indian hockey midfielder Hardik Singh on Wednesday said a “tight team” was the main reason for the team’s stellar performance in the Tokyo Olympic Games. India won a medal – a bronze – in the quadrennial showpiece after 41 years. “We’re an agile team, and I think that was our biggest strength in the Olympics. We’ve built a special bond, and we were able to make the best of each other’s skills. After a disappointing result against Australia ( 1- 7 loss), we sat together and openly talked to each other about what went wrong and what we need to do to do better in the coming matches. This really helped us to bounce back and eventually medal It helped a lot in winning the country,” Hardik said.
The 22-year-old, who was one of the prominent figures in the Indian midfield, scored two important goals in his first Olympic Games.
“After the 2018 World Cup, this (Tokyo Olympics) was my second major tournament with the senior team, and I was not really satisfied with my performance in the World Cup. So, I wanted to prove to myself that I can do better in big steps. So, for me, it was a big challenge, and I am glad that I could do well, and was able to contribute to the success of the team,” Hardik explained.
Hardik scored a memorable field goal in the quarter-final match against England, helping the Indian team enter the medal round at the Olympics after more than four decades.
Recalling the coveted goal, the youngster said, “It was a team goal, our defense line up to maintain a 2-1 lead at a very crucial stage of the game as we were down to 10 men . Harmanpreet tackled the ball really well, then she passed me, and I had open space to sneak into the striking circle, though my shot bounced off the goalkeeper’s pad, luckily I got a rebound, and hit the net. Found the last part. Neelkanth also played an important role here as he blinded the goalkeeper, which helped me find the difference during that rebound.”
The 22-year-old midfielder further said that the team is looking forward to begin its quest for gold at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
“We look forward to starting our quest for gold at the Paris Olympics. We have to go step by step, and our first step will be to qualify directly for the Olympic Games 2024 by winning gold at the 2022 Asian Games. Then in 2023, our There is another marquee event near – the Hockey World Cup, which will be played in Odisha, so there are challenging and exciting times ahead, and we look forward to it.” He concluded.
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