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“Last time what we achieved [at Tokyo Olympics] is a big deal for us,” said Harmanpreet Singh, the Indian hockey captain, after one of their last training sessions at the Sports Authority of India ground in Bengaluru under a scorching afternoon sun. “But that medal hasn’t satisfied everyone. We definitely want to try our best to change the colour of that [bronze] medal [we won in Tokyo]. That’s why we are putting in all this hard work.”
All that hard work paid off as India progressed from a tough group that included the top-ranked team Belgium, and then beat Great Britain in the quarter-final in a shootout despite going down to 10 men for more than half the game at the Olympic Games in Paris. But Singh’s men stumbled against Germany to a late goal in the semi-finals losing 3-2 on the evening of August 6. Yet, they will be able to build on the Tokyo Olympics’ bronze medal and create a new legacy if they beat Spain in the bronze medal game on Thursday at 5:30pm India Time (2pm Paris time).
India has eight gold, one silver and three bronze medals in Olympics hockey. “India has a rich legacy in Olympics [hockey]. We are pushing and pushing to try and recreate some kind of legacy for this new generation of players. It was done really well in Tokyo and now to try and recreate it again is the ultimate challenge. The Olympics is the pinnacle in the world of hockey,” said Craig Fulton, head coach of the Indian hockey team.
Heat Factor
After the rain drenched opening ceremony two weekends ago, Paris has experienced a series of hot days, which the Rings of Fire: Heat Risks at the 2024 Olympics report, published a month prior to the Summer Games, had predicted. Over the last week, Paris has witnessed hot afternoons with peak heat of above 32C around 6pm every day and conditions remain uncomfortable till about 10pm.
That means India will take on Spain in these less than ideal conditions that they have prepared for. In the two-week training camp in Bengaluru before leaving for Paris, Fulton made the team train in the peak afternoon heat and had up to three sessions per day. Fulton hopes that heat will prove to be an advantage for India as they are used to much hotter conditions while hockey is a winter sport in Europe. “Because of that mindset, I think [we are better prepared going into] the last 20 minutes of a match… Our team is more used to training in the heat while some of the European teams, because it’s a winter sport, don’t have [experience] of ultimate heat of 30-plus Celsius all the time from October to March. It’s not the only thing [that will determine our success] but it is one of the things… it could help. We don’t mind the heat, let’s put it that way. We are physically prepared to play in the heat and our fitness levels have improved in the year since I took over,” said Fulton.
Singh also acknowledged that his team is used to playing in hot weather compared to other teams, but added that it might not be an out-and-out advantage as other teams would have also prepared for it. “Every team struggles in the heat. We deliberately kept our field sessions at a time when it’s hot so that we are prepared to play in those conditions. Every single thing we do must help us in the Olympics. Water intake and hydration become very important in hot conditions. Players suffer cramps because of continuous sprint shuttles on the field,” said Singh.
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Multiple leaders
One of Fulton’s main aims with the team was to create a core leadership group. With Singh leading a team that includes Tokyo Olympics bronze medal-winning captain Manpreet Singh, Fulton has developed a leadership group of five to six players and this group, which includes former India captains, to support Singh in his task to lead India to victory.
“Singh has so much support compared to what he would have had if he were the only one with that experience. We have shared leadership; we don’t need an armband in this team to be a leader. We are looking to get another three captains in the next 10 years from our leadership group,” said Fulton. The one good thing in the hockey team, said Singh, is bonding and arm bands don’t matter. “Whether it is a junior or a senior team member, everyone helps each other. This is a team game, only our team matters,” said Singh.
Fulton has also encouraged players to speak up and make their own decisions. “Sometimes players want to please and might not speak up because they don’t want to come across as disruptive or disrespectful. But the problem is that they don’t make any decisions then and are waiting for someone to tell them what to do,” noted Fulton. In a sport where things happen so fast, said Fulton snapping his fingers, players can’t wait for instructions. “That’s why we push the leadership agenda in the team to encourage the players to make their own decisions. We are trying to up the continuous learning of the tactical side, so that player decisions become quicker,” Fulton added.
One Goal
The hockey team spends almost 10 months away from their homes and families, training in Bengaluru or playing tournaments. Despite so much time away, players and their families acknowledge that their first priority is to play and do well for India. “We are the lucky ones who get to represent India… we got a chance out of so many who are waiting for a chance to do just this. It’s our responsibility to do this for India. Our families know very well that we are working hard for our families and kids, at the end of the day,” said Singh, who says no matter where he goes to play, “aana toh wapas India hi hai” and, hopefully, with another medal to add to the one they won in Tokyo.