Indian men's hockey forward Sukhjeet Singh credits success to supportive father

Jalandhar's rising hockey star discusses his challenging journey.

Indian men’s hockey team forward, Sukhjeet Singh, aged 26, attributes his hockey success to his father. Sukhjeet's father, a former hockey player, gave him a hockey stick when he was four years old. Since then, Sukhjeet has overcome numerous obstacles on his way to the Hockey Team. On the most recent episode of Hockey Te Charcha, a podcast series launched by Hockey India, he delves into the complexities.

"My father had a big hockey stick. My father cut that big stick and gave it to me when I was about four or five years old. My father would come home from work and take me to the ground to teach me hockey. So my father has played the most important role in my hockey career. My hard work and my father have played the most important roles in this," Sukhjeet Singh said.

Sukhjeet then went to the Hostel in Chandigarh, where he spent seven years before moving on to play with departmental teams for Sindh Bank, Punjab Police, Indian Oil, and then Punjab National Bank. He was chosen for the Indian team following a standout performance for the Punjab National Bank team at the Inter-Departmental National Championships in Bangalore in 2018.

Unfortunately, Sukhjeet's biggest test in hockey came in the form of a back injury after he was selected. "That was the most difficult period of my life. I'll never forget that time because I'd never known such agony. I couldn't even sit on the bed and eat; moving was a different story. It was a very dark time for me; I didn't know if I'd even be able to walk again," he explained.

“I saw my father crying when he picked me up from the airport. I thought to myself that my father had sent me to represent India and when I came back, I was walking using a roller walker. My father hugged me, and I started crying as well.

"My father encouraged me to keep my faith and instilled confidence in me. My father used to give me massages to help me recover. There were no physios over there; my father did everything. He was my rock during those uncertain times, and he prepared me to play again,” he elaborated.

Sukhjeet recovered from this setback and made his debut for the Hockey Team in the FIH Pro League 2021-2022 season. Since then, his growth as a forward ensured a spot for him at the FIH Odisha Hockey Men's World Cup 2023 Bhubaneswar - Rourkela and the Hero Asian Champions Trophy Chennai 2023.

Sukhjeet is currently in China on a mission to win the gold medal at the 19th Asian Games 2023. “The senior players help us out. If we don’t understand the structure, or if we don’t know about something, we go to them. Also, the coach has coached us in a way that no matter who the striker is, if we are unable to convert a goal, then we need to create a chance for our teammates, and that’s what we’ll try and do at the 19th Asian Games 2023,” Sukhjeet commented on preparations before leaving for China.

The Indian men's hockey team is currently on top of the table in Pool A at the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022, having beaten Uzbekistan, Singapore, Japan, and Pakistan. They will face Bangladesh in the last match of the group stage on 2nd October with the aim of finishing within the top two spots and advancing to the Semi-Finals.