Indian men's hockey team among the fittest in the world, says skipper Manpreet Singh

India’s men’s hockey team captain Manpreet Singh is riding high. In what will be his third consecutive Olympics, Manpreet will be contingent’s flag-bearer along with boxing legend and London Olympics bronze medallist MC Mary Kom.

As the team gets ready to fly to Tokyo on 17 July, Manpreet, who is a Red Bull athlete, found time to speak to Firstpost. Excerpts from the interview:

Congratulations on being named India’s flagbearer at Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony. What does this mean to you?

I had never expected that I will ever get such an opportunity to be the flagbearer for my country at the Olympics. This is also the first time in 25 years that a hockey player has been selected for this honour, and I consider myself extremely lucky to get such an honourable opportunity as veterans before me like Dhanraj Pillay and Dilip Tirkey were not presented with this opportunity. I was really ecstatic when I came to know that I was chosen as one of the flag bearers for my nation. I think it is a huge moment for not only myself but for Indian hockey as well.

Pargat Singh was the last hockey player selected as a flagbearer at Olympics. You both come from the same village, Mithapur. How does it feel to carry forward Mithapur’s legacy? When I came to know that Pargat Singh was the last hockey player selected at the Olympics, I was delighted as he comes from the same town as I do and I get to carry his legacy forward. He was my childhood hero and was the main reason why I started playing Hockey. I had a chat with him recently and he shared positive insights on how to lead the team in high-profile tournaments like the Olympic Games. It is a really proud moment for me to receive such words of encouragement from a legend like Pargat Singh.

You have been to the Olympics twice already. You have played in a number of high-profile and multi-discipline and multi-nation tournaments. How does the pressure of an Olympics compare with, say Champions Trophy, or Asian Games? I feel very proud when I am representing my country at high-profile tournaments like the Olympics, Champions Trophy or Asian Games. It was my childhood dream to play for India and I feel extremely motivated when I wear the Indian jersey on. The pressure I believe is always there when you are representing your country at the highest level or in any multi-nation tournament as we are always going for the win and look to win medals for our country in every tournament we play.

Indian men’s team is considered among the fittest in world hockey. When did the fitness transformation begin? How is your fitness regime like? What are your yo-yo scores and those of the team in general? There has been a tremendous focus on fitness in the last few years. Hockey is a very demanding sport and that is why it is very important to focus on fitness to show consistency throughout the match. Our trainers have organised some running drills in training. Also, 19 of our team members managed to clear the yo-yo scores where the last stage was 23.8, so I think this Indian Men’s team is one of the fittest teams in the world.

2021 also marks 10 years of your international career. Multiple honours and trophies later, how do you reflect on your career? It is a proud moment for me to complete 10 years in international hockey. I started out in 2011 and now it’s already 2021, time certainly flies quickly. It has been a rollercoaster journey for me this far and I am very proud of the achievements that we won as a team like the gold and silver medals in the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games respectively in 2014. Captaining the team to 2017 Asia Cup triumph and also winning silver medal in the Champions Trophy was a huge moment for me. I am yet to achieve my goal which is to win a medal for my country in the Olympics and the World Cup, and I want to give my best to achieve these goals and at least get a podium finish at the upcoming Olympics.