India have a eyed a huge dream of doubling their medals tally to the previous Olympics. The Hockey team will be crucial for winning a medal for the country. They won Bronze in the last edition of the event. The Men’s Hockey Team captain Harmanpreet Singh exuded confidence ahead of their campaign opener on Saturday against New Zealand here at the Paris Olympics 2024.
The team arrived in Europe two weeks ago of the event. The Indian team has gone through a 3-day mental conditioning camp in Switzerland. They played high-octane practice matches against Malaysia, Netherlands, Germany, and Great Britain in the days. Leading up to their first Pool B match here. The group for India is tough. With reigning Olympic Champions Belgium, Argentina, Australia, Ireland, and New Zealand there in the Pool.
They need a good start to their campaign to qualify for the next round of the event. This is arguably the group of death with Australia, Belgium, and Argentina in it. Kiwis have been a tough opponent for the Indians. The memories of their 3-3 (4-5 SO) at the World Cup in Bhubaneswar last year. It is a reminder to not get complacent.
India needs to surpass a huge challenge to win medal in Hockey
The ace drag-flicker Harmanpreet has shared his views ahead of the opening game. Singh said, “We had some really good practice matches before we arrived in Paris and the experience as a unit in Switzerland was something unique, nothing like what we have done in the past. We are in a good place mentally and physically to begin our campaign. The atmosphere here in the Games Village is extremely good. Meeting with athletes from our Indian contingent and to see how much support we have within our own contingent has been quite overwhelming and this motivates us all the more to do well.”
Further adding to his comment about the opponent he said, “The moment we have been eagerly waiting for is finally here and the team is super excited. Of course, there is some nervousness too and that is always good before any big game.”
“We have learnt to deal with pressures of an event like the Olympic Games, we are here on a mission to change the colour of our medal and yes, we are in a tough pool with teams and they are serious contenders for a medal in Paris but on a good day, we have proven to be better than the rest and that’s the mindset we will carry into this tournament.”
