Indian hockey team captain and drag-flicker Harmanpreet Singh is going to receive the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award today for his strong play and extraordinary talent. Despite being a defender, Harmanpreet is often celebrated after scoring a brilliant goal against the opposition team.
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Apart from him, Germanjit Singh of Amritsar and Sukhjit Singh of Jalandhar will also be honored with the Arjuna Award. The biggest achievements of Harmanpreet Singh’s career include bronze medal at Tokyo 2020 Olympics, gold medal at 2023 Asian Games and bronze medal at Paris Olympics 2024.
Hone his drag flick skills while working in the fields
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 experts Gaganpreet Singh and Sukhjeet Singh further honed his penalty corner skills.
Germanjit Singh.
Germanjeet remained in bed for 2 years due to wrong vaccination
Hockey player Germanjit Singh will be honored with the Arjuna Award today. There was a time when he remained bedridden for two years. Due to leg pain, the doctor gave him the wrong vaccine due to which he had to take bed rest for 2 years, but his passion for hockey did not diminish. Went abroad and played after 2 years.
Seeing his sporting talent, Australia offered him free PR to play in the team, but he expressed his patriotism by choosing the Indian team. His father Balbir Singh is Punjab Police and mother Kulwinder Kaur is a housewife.
Parents told that German was admitted in Khalsa Academy Mehta Chowk School, Baba Kalan. His coach Sardar Baljinder Singh started giving him hockey training in the third class itself. After that he got admission in Jalandhar Surjeet Academy. He continued taking training there only.
Sukhjeet Singh.
Back injury made me quit hockey
Sukhjit Singh is a resident of village Dhanowali of Jalandhar. He is seen as a rising star of the Indian field hockey team. Due to his brilliant performance, he has got the honor of being a part of the Indian team that won the bronze medal in the 2024 Summer Olympics and now being honored with the Arjuna Award.
Sukhjeet’s source of inspiration in sports is his father Ajit Singh, who himself has been a hockey player. Sukhjeet, who scored his first international goal against Spain in the 2021-22 FIH Pro League, went on to score three goals in the 2023 FIH Hockey World Cup. He has been an integral part of the Indian teams that won gold medals at the Asian Champions Trophy and the Asian Games in Hangzhou.
His success story is inspiring. A serious back injury six years earlier had caused him to temporarily lose movement in his right leg. But with the strength of his passion and hard work, he not only returned to the field, but also represented the country on a big platform like the Olympics. Sukhjeet has overcome difficult circumstances and established himself as an excellent player and a source of inspiration.