Paris Olympics 2024: I watch clips of my goals to boost confidence ahead of debut, says Sukhjeet Singh
The Hindu
Indian hockey forward Sukhjeet Singh prepares for Olympic debut with confidence, mental strength, and support from experienced teammates.
Indian hockey forward Sukhjeet Singh is unfazed by the pressure of playing at the highest level and is watching the clips of his international goals to boost his confidence ahead of his Olympic debut at the Paris Games.
"I made my debut in the Indian team in 2022 and scored a goal in my debut match against Spain in the FIH Pro League. The journey so far has been good and I try to do my best in every match," he told PTI Bhasha in an interview before departing for Paris.
Having scored 22 goals in 70 international matches so far, Sukhjeet is prepared physically and mentally to face the pressure of the Olympics.
He is one of the five debutants — Sanjay, Abhishek, Rajkumar Pal, and Jarmanpreet Singh — who have joined the 11 members of Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist team for the Paris Games.
"I am not feeling any pressure at all. We have played big tournaments, so we know how to handle pressure. We are confident of playing well against big teams in the pool as our preparation has been really good," said the 27-year-old.
The team will begin its campaign on July 27 against New Zealand, followed by matches against Argentina (July 29), Ireland (July 30), Belgium (August 1) and Australia (August 2).
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