Simranjeet Singh : A Name That Made Indian Hockey Team Unforgettable At The Legendary Tokyo Olympics 2020

• BySheetal Sidhu     |    September 3, 2021

A young boy still to enter his teens left his home on a whim to join his uncle Rashpal Singh in Punjab to learn the national sport of the country. That young boy then became a part of the golden moment India witnessed after 41 years of a wait at the Tokyo Olympics, 2020. Simranjeet Singh, midfielder for the National Hockey team safely secured two goals at the final match against Germany assuring India’s victory. Startup Story had the honor to interact with this ace hockey player of India and listen to his sensational journey.

From Playing At The Village Ground To Representing India At The Tokyo Olympics

“The game became a tradition in our family, my uncles and his sons would actively play the sport,” says Simranjeet. He became passionate about learning once he saw his uncle and others in their village play hockey. His paternal uncle and cousin Inderjeet Singh became his role models. To hone his skills, he entered the Cheena Academy for hockey. Here, under the supervision of Charanjeet Singh Cheena, he learned the nuances of sports. After completing two years of rigorous coaching back in the year 2006-07, Simranjeet Singh made his way to a tough round of selection and finally got selected at the Surjit Hockey Academy in Jalandhar, where he professionally started training for the game. He was being trained on AstroTurf as most national and international level matches are played on it. His efforts paid well and he became very competitive after the exposure. He stayed at the academy until his last year of schooling.

Winning Trajectory Of Simranjeet Singh

He is the proud winner of three national hockey games representing the Punjab team, acing all three with a gold medal from 2012 to 2014 consecutively. This nationwide recognition helped him enter the Junior Men’s National camp, where he got training for the 2016 World Cup which was to be held in Lucknow. “When you move upward from state level to national level and then international level, you experience a huge difference, you need to update and stabilize yourself as per the need of the hour,” says Simranjeet Singh with a sense of satisfaction about his journey. He then opens up on how he learned several things while undergoing this transition and facing every challenge upfront. He disciplined himself, monitored and regulated his diet and sleeping patterns etc. to give his best performance. His hard work showed results and the team bagged the prestigious 2016 Junior World Cup.

In 2017, Simranjeet Singh was invited to the senior camp. He debuted for the Senior National Hockey team in the year 2018 at the New Zealand Test Series, followed by the Champions Trophy in Holland which he turned out to be a major event for him, as the team had won Silver. Continuing with the victorious, he then told us about the Asian games where the team won a bronze. By now they looked like a promising team for the Olympics.

What It Takes To Become A Sportsperson

Simranjeet Singh remained a sports enthusiast throughout his career in spite of the challenges he came across. “After I entered camps for practice, I hardly got any personal time for family or friends. I wouldn’t see my family in months but I just focused on my game”

Today when Simranjeet Singh looks back at his journey, he has numerous wonderful memories to share. He says, “I chose my game, I left home at a whim to learn the game and when you make a decision it becomes easier to face the challenges.” He was quite determined to take on the hurdles that came his way. To him “giving up wasn’t a choice, because problems are temporary.”

When the pandemic struck and the Olympics were first cancelled, they had to stay back at the camp, away from their families for a year and a half. This was a difficult time for all of them as they were following precautionary measures and hardly contacting anyone. This phase took a major toll on them but they stood strong and saw themselves growing stronger in every aspect.

The Life-Changing Experience At The Olympics

Playing in Olympics is a life changing experience and it is a huge event in itself, says Simranjeet Singh while talking about the legendary win. He then compares the huge gap between the last win the Indian hockey team had at Olympics years ago and the long waiting which ended this year. They wanted to give their best at the Olympics. Their practice and hard work boosted their confidence. They went into all the nitti-gritties to ensure their win before the games. “In Olympics, you come face to face with the best players from different countries. Many players debut in this international event. Despite this, they remained focused and take one step at a time and the moment that we all awaited arrived, India’s spectacular win, a bronze medal in Tokyo!” says Simranjeet Singh with a big smile on his face.

Team Is My Family

For Simranjeet, his team members are more like a family. He says, “As a team we know each other closely and the journey we have been on individually and as a team, the shared passion for the game works as the strongest force gluing us together.”

Advice For The Youth

Simranjeet is hopeful about the future of Indian hockey. He says “If you cross the very first hurdle in your career, facing challenges thereon becomes easier. Most players give up after they face their first big challenge, so overcoming it is the most important thing. For me getting into the fitness regime was difficult initially but now I enjoy with the healthy changes which I made in my lifestyle. So don’t give up ever.”

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