From suffering paralysis to Olympic podium, Jalandhar’s Sukhjeet Singh recounts health struggles in his journey to top

Aakanksha N Bhardwaj

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, August 11

“The day we won the bronze medal, I was up all night, looking back at my life’s journey. Life had never been easy, I had struggled with my health... I had come a long way,” said Sukhjeet Singh from Jalandhar, his eyes welling up.

Sukhjeet, who had suffered partial paralysis a few years ago, played his first Olympics and won a medal for the country. A rare feat.

As star players from Jalandhar — Manpreet Singh, Mandeep Singh, Hardik Singh and Sukhjeet Singh — arrived in the city sporting bronze medals, they were welcomed with a grand roadshow, dhol beats and bhangra. Enthusiastic fans followed the cavalcade, clicking selfies with the champions.

The players were visibly overwhelmed as they remembered their long struggles. Sukhjeet’s father Ajit Singh is an ASI with the Punjab Police. “When team India won bronze, I reminisced the days when my son was suffering from paralysis. Jo mushkil da daur si, ohnu vi handle keeta mehnat krke. He came out strong after the trying times. Those bad memories will now vanish. As a father, I couldn’t have asked for more,” he said.

While Sukhjeet Singh is from Rama Mandi, Hardik Singh belongs to Khusropur village and Manpreet Singh and Mandeep Singh are natives of Mithapur.

Their family members had prepared special meals for them — “Vyaah vaali taiyari kitti hai (It is a grand celebration, just like a wedding),” the elated parents said.

Vice-captain of the team Hardik Singh, who was seen crying when the Indian team was out of the race for gold, expressed his feelings: “There is some sadness in our hearts, but we should not forget that we won bronze in Tokyo after 41 years, and this time in Paris again.” He said youngsters must adopt sports in their lives. “Games help one remain focused and stay away from the tentacles of drugs,” he said.

Hardik Singh’s mother, who was in Paris and watched all matches, stated: “We are proud of the medal and the team.” Manpreet Singh, former captain of the team under whose leadership the team had won bronze in Tokyo Olympics, said their win was a motivation for the future generations.