Rise and rise of Harmanpreet

Indervir Grewal

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 12

At the start of the year, no one would have imagined Harmanpreet Singh making the men’s hockey squad for the Rio Olympics.

In the last two years, Harmanpreet has seen a great rise through the junior circuit. Coach Roelant Oltmans had closely watched Harmanpreet’s progress during the Dutchman’s days as the High Performance Director attached with the junior team.

However, despite his growing stature as a defender and drag-flicker, it was hard to imagine a 20-year-old finding his way into a team that already included two established penalty-corner experts, VR Raghunath and Rupinderpal Singh.

Oltmans, however, showed confidence in the Punjab player to include him in the squad for the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup. Harmanpreet’s performance justified Oltmans’ decision and the Dutchman retained him for the Champions Trophy, in which he was named the best young player.

“We are all very happy for him. He has worked really hard in the last few months and the improvement shows,” said midfielder Manpreet Singh, who was Harmanpreet’s senior at the Surjit Academy in Jalandhar.

Avtar Singh, Harmanpreet’s coach at the Surjit Academy, said: “The pressure of playing in the senior team is huge. But with the added pressure of having to fight for a place in the Olympics-bound team, anyone’s game can suffer,” said Avtar.

“But Harmanpreet’s performances have belied his age. He always had a very cool head but the way he has matured in the last few months is unbelievable.”