On Friday (2nd August), India team captain Harmanpreet Singh took his goalscoring tally to six goals in five matches by netting a brace as the eight-times Olympic gold medallists claimed a 3-2 win against Australia.
It was another fine performance from India, who have grown in confidence with every game played here at Paris 2024, their only defeat coming at the hands of Pool B winners Belgium, with the reigning Olympic gold medallists edging a tight contest 2-1.
As you would expect, India’s excellent displays have raised hopes that they could finally end their 44-year wait for that elusive ninth Olympic gold medal. The growing expectation is understandable, considering the team have gone from failing to qualify for Beijing 2008 to winning Olympic bronze at Tokyo 2020, their first medal since Moscow 1980.
Today, another curse was finally broken as India men recorded their first Olympic win against Australia in 52 years. The last time India managed to defeat the Kookaburras in Olympic competition came at Munich 1972, with hat-trick from Mukhbain Singh earning a 3-1 victory.
With such omens coming to the fore, it was perhaps unsurprising that India captain Harmanpreet Singh faced questions from the media about whether India really can bring home that ninth Olympic title here at Paris 2024.
“That’s why we are here, man”, said Harmanpreet, who has scored a staggering 190 goals in 224 matches for his country. “That’s what we are looking for. To give India its ninth (hockey) gold. We are giving everything to win that gold medal. But the main tournament is starting now. So the quarter-finals, the semi-finals, those matches are very crucial. So, we’re just looking to give our best.”
While the historical significance of the result was not lost on the 28-year-old, India’s talismanic captain was more interested in the pool ramifications and the pleasing nature of the performance.
“This (was) our last match in the pool”, said Harmanpreet. “We started (the tournament by) winning, and we decided we were going to finish with a winning match. We put them under pressure and the pressure was so good from the frontline. And our motto was to score the first goal. So we did it and I think after that we managed very well.
“Our positioning with the ball was really good today”, continued the powerful defender and two-time FIH Hockey Stars Men’s Player of the Year. “Because everybody knows that the Australians come full press. So the positioning and scanning was good today, the way we managed the ball.”
With the pool phase done and dusted, the attention now switches to the quarter-finals. When asked about how the mindset changes when moving from the pool rounds to the knockout phases, Harmanpreet said:
“In the pool matches, you have options. Maybe you win, or you lose, you have the next match. In the quarter-finals you don’t have any (more chances) so you have to go for the best and put your best foot in front, and you know there’s no room to make mistakes. So, every second you have to be sharp every time, whenever you get the opportunity to make sure you are finishing well. It is that mentality we have to keep in our mind.”
When asked what would happen back home if India did manage to win the gold medal in Paris, Harmanpreet said: “It (would) be the craziest thing in our life, in hockey history. Because last time (in Tokyo) we won the bronze medal people went crazy, man. The whole of India was cheering for us, and we would love to give them the gold medal and history. So we’ll try to give our best.”
The hockey competitions at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 take place from Saturday 27 July to Friday 9 August. Both the men’s and women’s competitions feature 12 teams, split into two pools of six ahead of quarter-finals, semi-finals and medal matches. For more information about the hockey competitions at Paris 2024, visit Olympics.Hockey.
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