‘Olympics will be a fairy-tale for me,’ says Tokyo-bound Manpreet Kaur
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Manpreet Kaur
Indian women’s hockey team defender Manpreet Kaur said on Wednesday that the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games will be a fairy-tale for her. The youngster is set to make her dream debut for the national team in the upcoming multi-nation tournament.
Kaur (23) is currently training with the national team at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) centre in Bengaluru ahead of the Olympics. She mentioned that her maiden international tour – to Argentina in February, has helped her boost the confidence
“Debut for the senior national team at a dream event like the Olympics will be a fairy-tale for me. But I want to keep my feet on the ground and continue doing my hard work. We all are pumped up, and just working hard, making each and every day count in training,” said the player from Shahabad in Haryana.
Kaur lauds women’s team captain Rani Rampal
Manpreet Kaur began her hockey journey at the Shahabad Academy alongside top players of the side such as skipper Rani Rampal and forwards Navjot Kaur, and Navneet Kaur. The 23-year old revealed that Rani is her idol and the biggest inspiration. The defender heaped massive praises for the captain for guiding the youngsters and being the biggest motivator in the team.
“I have followed Rani, Navjot and Navneet from very close quarters while growing up. Just like other girls in Shahabad, I also idolised Rani. She is my biggest inspiration, and it’s a special feeling to spend time with her at the camp. She guides young players like me in the right direction, and she is the biggest motivator in the team.”
She also commented on her maiden international tour to Argentina. Kaur mentioned that the senior members of the side helped her gain confidence as initially, she was really nervous.
“It was the team’s first assignment in almost a year. I was very nervous, but the seniors motivated me, and match-by-match, I kept gaining confidence, so it was a great learning experience even though those were practice matches,” she concluded.
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Sachin Arora
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