Manpreet Singh Pawar (born 26 June 1992) is an Indian

field hockey Field hockey is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with ten outfield players and a goalkeeper. Teams must drive a round hockey ball by hitting it with a hockey stick towards the rival team's shooting ci ...

player. He led the Indian field hockey team to the bronze medal at the

Tokyo 2020 Olympics The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the host city during the 1 ...

. He plays as a halfback. He first played for India in 2011 at the age of 19. He represented India at the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

and was named Asia's Junior Player of the Year in 2014. He was named in the Indian squad for the

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics ( pt, Jogos Olímpicos de Verão de 2016), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad ( pt, Jogos da XXXI Olimpíada) and also known as Rio 2016, was an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 20 ...

Early and personal life

Manpreet Singh was born in a farming family in Mithapur village on outskirts of Jalandhar city of Punjab in India. Manpreet married Malaysian Illi Najwa Saddique on December 16, 2020 in Punjab, India. He first met her when the team featured in the Sultan of Johor Cup in 2013 where Indian team won the gold medal."Hockey captain Manpreet Singh: The #HiddenHero of sport more Indians should know about"

Hindustan Times ''Hindustan Times'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper based in Delhi. It is the flagship publication of HT Media, an entity controlled by the KK Birla family, and is owned by Shobhana Bhartia. It was founded by Sunder Singh Lyall ...

, 27 August 2017. Before the game he focuses and relaxes by meditating with

yoga Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consciou ...

, playing

PlayStation is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a divisi ...

and by listening to the Punjabi Bhangra music specially by

Diljit Dosanjh Daljit Singh Dosanjh known professionally as Diljit Dosanjh (born 6 January 1984) is an Indian singer, actor, film producer and television personality. He works in Punjabi Music and subsequently in Punjabi cinema, Punjabi and Bollywood, Hind ...

and

Honey Singh Hirdesh Singh (born 15 March 1983), known professionally as Yo Yo Honey Singh or simply Honey Singh, is an Indian music producer, rapper, singer, songwriter and an actor. He started out in 2003 as a session and recording artist, and became a b ...

. He carries his PlayStation with him whenever he travels for matches. He is a fan of

Salman Khan Abdul Rashid Salim Salman Khan (; 27 December 1965) is an Indian actor, film producer, and television personality who works in Hindi films. In a film career spanning over thirty years, Khan has received numerous awards, including two Nation ...

and enjoys watching movies of sports genre, such as M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story,

Chak De! India ''Chak De! India'' () is a 2007 Indian Hindi-language sports drama film directed by Shimit Amin and produced by Aditya Chopra under the banner of Yash Raj Films, with a script written by Jaideep Sahni. The film stars Shah Rukh Khan as Kabir Kh ...

and

Bhaag Milkha Bhaag ''Bhaag Milkha Bhaag'' () is a 2013 Hindi-language biographical sports drama film directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra from a script written by Prasoon Joshi. The story is based on the life of Milkha Singh, an Indian athlete and Olympian who w ...

, and he would love to try acting in movies if offered a role. His big dream is to "win big for India" and biggest goal is to "inspire youngsters to play a sport, any sport".

Sports career

He was inspired by the former Indian hockey captain Padma Shri Pargat Singh, who also hails from Manpreet's Mithapur village. He was further attracted by the prizes his elder brothers won while playing hockey. Around 2002, he started to play hockey regularly at the age of 10 when his mother locked him in room to prevent him from playing hockey. However, he eventually managed to escape. His coach told his angry elder brother to at least let him try since he was so keen to play. Manpreet's family started to support him completely after he won his first prize of 2013 Sultan of Johor Cup ₹500 cash (US$12 per 2002 conversion rate) in a tournament. In 2005, he enrolled in India's one of the most sought-after hockey academies, Surjit Hockey Academy of

Jalandhar Jalandhar is the third most-populous city in the Indian state of Punjab and the largest city in Doaba region. Jalandhar lies alongside the Grand Trunk Road and is a well-connected rail and road junction. Jalandhar is northwest of the state ...

. In 2011, he made his international debut as part of Indian junior team. He idolises former German captain Moritz Fürste and is inspired by

Sardar Singh Sardara Singh (born 15 July 1986), sometimes referred as Sardar Singh, is an Indian former professional field hockey player and captain of the Indian national team. He usually plays the center half position. Sardara became the youngest player t ...

's style of play. He is also a fan of

Cristiano Ronaldo Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro (; born 5 February 1985) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a forward and captains the Portugal national team. He is currently a free agent. Widely regarded as one of the greatest p ...

and

David Beckham David Robert Joseph Beckham (; born 2 May 1975) is an English former professional footballer, the current president and co-owner of Inter Miami CF and co-owner of Salford City. Known for his range of passing, crossing ability and bending fr ...

, and just like them he also wears the same jersey number 7.

Junior Hockey

In 2013 he became captain of India junior men’s hockey team in the 2013 Men's Hockey Junior World Cup."Manpreet to lead India's strong junior hockey world cup squad"

News18 Network18 Media & Investments Limited, (formerly SGA Finance and Management Service and Network18 Fincap Limited) commonly referred to as the Network18 Group and sometimes as the Network18–Eenadu Group, is an Indian media conglomerate owned b ...

, 27 November 2013. Indian team also won the final gold medal under his captainship in the 2013 Sultan of Johor Cup after defeating Malaysia 3–0 in final where Manpreet also scored a goal."India beat Malaysia 3-0 to win Sultan of Johor Cup"

Times of India ''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English language, English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the List of newspapers in India by circulation, t ...

, 29 September 2013. In 2014, he was titled Junior Player of the Year by the Asian Hockey Federation."Manpreet named Asia’s Junior Player of the Year"
''

The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It began as a weekly in 1878 and became a daily in 1889. It is one of the Indian newspapers of record and the secon ...

'', 1 September 2014.

Senior Hockey

2012–2016: Olympic, Commonwealth and Asian Games wins

, he represented India. In

2014 Asian Games The 2014 Asian Games ( ko, 2014년 아시아 경기대회/2014년 아시안 게임, Icheon sip-sa nyeon Asia gyeonggi daehoe/Icheon sip-sa nyeon Asian Geim), officially known as the 17th Asian Games ( ko, 제17회 아시아 경기대회/제17회 ...

at Incheon in South Korea, he was part of India's men's hockey team that won Gold medal after defeating arch rival Pakistan in final by 4–2."Indian hockey team win gold at Incheon, qualify for Rio Olympics"

, 2 October 2014. In

2014 Commonwealth Games The 2014 Commonwealth Games ( gd, Geamannan a' Cho-fhlaitheis 2014), officially known as the XX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Glasgow 2014, ( sco, Glesca 2014 or Glesga 2014; gd, Glaschu 2014), was an international multi-sport ev ...

at Glasgow in Scotland, India won silver medal after losing to Australia in final by 4–0."CWG 2014: India men's hockey team lose to Australia, settle for silver"

India Today ''India Today'' is a weekly Indian English-language news magazine published by Living Media India Limited. It is the most widely circulated magazine in India, with a readership of close to 8 million. In 2014, ''India Today'' launched a new onl ...

, 3 August 2014. In 2016 Men's Hockey Champions Trophy at London, India won silver medal after losing to Australia in the final by 1–3, where India had made finals after 38 years."MM Somaya, Zafar Iqbal laud India’s Champions Trophy silver"

, 18 June 2016. In

, he was named in the Indian squad, where India lost 1–3 to

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

in the quarterfinals.

Father's death during 2016 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup

Few hours before the 6 April 2016 Japan vs India opening match 2016 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, which India won 1–2, he received the news of his father's sudden death, He missed the next Australia vs India match on 7 April 2016 as he went back to India to perform death rituals for his father, Australian players observed a minute's silence while wearing black arm band to show support for Manpreet and India lost in his absence by 5–1."How Hockey Australia paid tribute to Manpreet Singh's father"

Sportskeeda Sportskeeda is an Indian sports and esports news website, founded in 2009. It is operated by Absolute Sports Private Limited and owned by Indian video game company Nazara Technologies. The website has news, features, commentary and videos on spo ...

, 17 April 2016. His mother told him to go back and play to fulfill his father's wish of giving his best to play for the pride of nation. He came back to join the team to play the next Canada vs India match on 10 April 2016, which India won by 1–3. India won again by 5–1 in the next Pakistan vs India match on 12 April 2016 where Manpreet played an important role in creating an early pressure by scoring a goal within first 4 minutes. New Zealand won 2–1 against India on 13 April 2016, where Manpreet scored India's sole goal. India won 6–1 against Malaysia on 15 April 2016 in their last pool match. India won the second place after losing the final against Australia by 4-0 on 16 April 2016. Out of India's total 18 goals in the tournament, he scored 2 during the period of mourning despite missing few matches."Sultan Azlan Shah Cup: India fall in final as Australia clinch ninth title"

Indian express ''The Indian Express'' is an English-language Indian daily newspaper founded in 1932. It is published in Mumbai by the Indian Express Group. In 1999, eight years after the group's founder Ramnath Goenka's death in 1991, the group was split betw ...

, 16 April 2016.

Captain of India 2017 Onward

On 18 May 2017, he was promoted to captain India's hockey team for the three Nations Invitational Tournament in Germany that started on 1 June and the World League Semi Final in England that started on 15 June."Hockey India names Manpreet Singh captain in PR Sreejesh's absence for World League semifinals"

First Post ''Firstpost'' is an Indian online news and media website. The site is a part of the Network 18 media conglomerate owned by Reliance Industries, which also runs CNN-News18 and CNBC-TV18. The ''Network 18'' group was originally owned by Raghav ...

, 18 May 2017. He was awarded 2019 Men's

FIH Player of the Year Awards The FIH Player of the Year Awards are awarded annually by the International Hockey Federation to the male and female field hockey players adjudged to be the best in the world. The awards were established in 1998 and have been awarded annually ever ...

. In

, he went there as the captain of Indian National Men's Hockey Team. Also, he was the flagbearer during the opening ceremony of the olympics, along with

Mary Kom Mangte Chungneijang Mary Kom (born 01 March 1983) is an Indian amateur boxer, politician, and former Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha. She is the only woman to win the World Amateur Boxing Championship six times, the only female boxer to ha ...

. At the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, he captained India towards victory by bringing bronze medal for country. India defeated Germany by 5–4.

Tokyo Olympics 2020

In the Tokyo Olympics held in 2021, Manpreet Singh led the Indian men's team to a bronze medal. After losing 1–7 to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

in the second match of the group stage, India, under his leadership, staged a remarkable comeback to defeat

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

(the then defending champion) and

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

in succession. They beat

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

3–1 in the quarter-final but fell to then World no. 1 and eventual gold medallists

2–5 in the semi-finals. In the bronze-medal match, India defeated

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

5–4 to win the bronze medal. It was the Indian hockey team's first podium finish at the Olympic Games since 1980.

Awards

* 2021 –

Khel Ratna Award The Khel Ratna Award (), officially known as the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award ( Major Dhyan Chand Sport Jewel Award), is the highest sporting honour of India. It is awarded annually by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Governm ...

, highest sporting honour of India.

References

External links

Manpreet Singh
at

Hockey India Hockey India plans, directs and conducts all the activities for both men and women hockey in India. It is recognized by the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, Govt. of India as the sole body responsible towards promoting Hockey in India. It w ...