Indian hockey team captain and brilliant drag-flicker Harmanpreet Singh is going to receive the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award this year on the strength of his strong game and extraordinary talent. Despite being a defender, Harmanpreet often celebrated by scoring a brilliant goal against the opposition team.
,
Harmanpreet Singh was born on 6 January 1996 in a farmer family in Jandiala Guru Basti, Amritsar district of Punjab. In his childhood, Harmanpreet used to help the family in the fields and drive tractors. While working in the fields, his hands honed the skill of drag-flick.
In 2011, Harmanpreet took admission in Surjeet Academy, Jalandhar. Where specialists Gaganpreet Singh and Sukhjeet Singh further improved his penalty corner art.
Harmanpreet’s performance at junior level
Harmanpreet made her debut for the Indian junior team in the 2011 Sultan of Johor Cup. In the same tournament in 2014, he scored 9 goals and won the title of ‘Player of the Tournament’. After this, he played an important role in winning the Junior World Cup in 2016.
Debut in senior team and Olympic journey
Harmanpreet made her debut for the senior team in 2015 against Japan. He became a part of the team after being selected for the Rio Olympics in 2016. Although India’s performance in Rio was not satisfactory, Harmanpreet made a brilliant comeback in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Harmanpreet played an important role in India winning an Olympic medal after 41 years by scoring 6 goals in Tokyo 2020.
Golden success in Asian Games 2023
Indian men’s hockey team’s Harmanpreet Singh played a key role in India’s bronze medal win at the Paris 2024 Olympics and topped the goal-scoring charts. Harmanpreet Singh scored 10 goals in eight matches at the Paris 2024 men’s hockey tournament. His score was three goals more than Australia’s Blake Govers.
Main achievements of Harmanpreet Singh
- Paris Olympics 2024: Got bronze for India, best goal scoring in his name.
- Tokyo 2020: Olympic bronze medalist and top scorer of the Indian team.
- Asian Games 2023: Gold medalist and team’s top scorer (13 goals).
- FIH Pro League 2021-22: Top scorer of the tournament (18 goals).
- Commonwealth Games 2022: Silver Medal.
- Asian Champions Trophy 2023: The captain who led India to gold medal.