Time to put in everything for Olympic Games preparation, says Rupinder Pal Singh
After a successful run in the Olympic qualifiers, Rupinder Pal Singh, India men's hockey team’s drag-flicker, on Thursday pitched for greater efforts in preparation for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. According to the drag-flicker, next year’s FIH Pro League will help India prepare for the Olympics.
India had defeated Russia with a resounding scoreline of 11-3 on aggregate in the FIH Olympic qualifiers to seal their place for Tokyo 2020, and Rupinder has now called for total effort from his teammates to make the Olympics worthwhile.
"Our aim was to make sure we qualified for the Olympics, and now that we have secured our place, it is now time to put everything into preparing for the Olympic Games. We have nine months to prepare for the quadrennial event, and playing in the FIH Pro League will serve as good preparation for us. We will be able to determine where we stand against the top teams," Rupinder said to the ANI.
The Indian men's team is scheduled to return for the next training and conditioning camp on November 18 in Bhubaneswar to look after their fitness ahead of the next year's FIH Pro League. According to Rupinder, this period before the Olympics is a “crucial phase” and the team will focus on “injury prevention” fitness methods.
The 28-year-old who missed out on few international matches also said it was a good feeling on making a comeback for the national side after missing out on some major tournaments.
"It was an amazing feeling to be back in the India blue after having missed out on some major tournaments last year. I was determined to perform well for my team, and make sure that we secured our place in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Russia gave us a tough fight, but we showed our quality in the end and secured the two wins," Rupinder said.
The drag-flicker also said that the next year's FIH Pro League would be a good test for the Indian side and it will serve as a proper preparatory tournament for the upcoming Olympics.
"The FIH Pro League was a great success in its first edition, and we are all very excited to be a part of it next year. These matches will be a great test for us, especially playing against the best teams from around the world. We will be hosting as well as touring some very strong teams in the next eight months, and I can't wait to start our preparations for the same," Rupinder concluded.
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