Hockey heroes Manpreet, Mandeep an inspiration for Mithapur boys
Aakanksha N Bhardwaj
Tribune News Service
Jalandhar, August 12
Emotions were high and the eyes of the budding hockey players from Mithapur village were sparkling as they welcomed their heroes after the win at the Paris Olympics on Sunday.
For Varun (12), Suraj (12), Damanjot Singh (19), Ujjawal Singh (18) and several other players getting trained at the Mithapur hockey academy, it was a red letter day. They were unable to contain their excitement as they met Manpreet Singh and Mandeep Singh, hockey legends from Mithapur who have won the bronze medal by defeating Spain. The village youths raised their hockey sticks in respect of the duo to the village.
Emotions run high among village boys
I grew up watching him play near my house and now we all watch him on TV sets. Manpreet Paaji is my everything. I wanted to be like the former captain of the hockey team. Damanjot
I didn't want to miss the chance to see them. We wanted to give him a warm welcome. Suraj
For Damanjot, son of a marginal farmer, Manpreet Singh has been an inspiration. “I grew up watching him play near my house and now we all watch him on TV sets. Manpreet Paaji is my everything,” he said, adding that he wanted to be like the former captain of the Indian hockey team.
Son of a daily wager Suraj said he had been learning hockey for the last four years. “I didn’t want to miss the chance to see both of them. We wanted to give him a warm welcome,” he said.
Varun,12-year-old son of a tempo driver, said it was an unforgettable day for him. “A few days ago, I watched them on TV. Now, they were in front of us. I felt nervous too,” the budding player shared his emotions.
Right now, over 40 players have been getting trained at the academy, the youngest one is four-year-old. Kuldeep Singh, a coach at the academy, said the young players got ready early morning and reach the academy, even before the Olympians.
