Will draw young players to sport, Rupinder Pal Singh tells parents
Faridkot, August 5
The men hockey team’s historic bronze medal on Thursday spread cheer across the town. Rupinder Pal Singh’s family was on cloud nine as the 30-year-old dragflicker was one among the four goal scorers for the country against Germany. “My son was adamant on not getting married until he won a medal for the country,” said teary-eyed Sukhwinder Kaur, Rupinder’s mother, hugging all those who visited her home here to greet the family.
“Two days ago, when the team lost to Belgium, I was disappointed, but Rupinder’s father (Harinder Singh) had a firm belief in Waheguru and confidence in my son to turn our long-cherished dream of securing a medal for the country into reality,” said Sukhwinder Kaur.
Minutes after clinching the medal, Rupinder was on a video call with his family members, with callers from both sides emotionally charged in the sea of celebration. “It is not only about winning the bronze, but also about infusing new confidence and vigour in the sport,” Rupinder said to his family members and friends, adding that it was a great and historic achievement for us.
“Despite losing to Belgium, my son was confident and firm in his resolution of securing a bronze medal for the country, and he proved it,” said Harinder Singh.
With a younger brother, ailing father and mother, Rupinder lived in a one-room rented accommodation in Dogar Basti in Faridkot, days before he hit the limelight and emerged as another promising talent after his performance in Sultan Azlan Shah Cup a decade ago.
After completing his Class 12 in Faridkot, Rupinder joined a Chandigarh-based hockey academy to hone his skills withe the hockey stick.
His seven-year training period in Chandigarh was a big financial burden on his poor family, but his mother never allowed her ‘straight-jacketed’ financial condition to become a stumbling block in her son’s promising hockey career.
