Echoes of a heartbreak: The moment when Hardik Singh realised his World Cup was all but over

Indervir Grewal

Bhubaneswar, January 20

It is always difficult to watch another person cry. But when that person is a professional athlete — hardened by the rigours of training and pressures of top-level competition — the sight is heartbreaking.

As Hardik Singh sat on the sideboard of a goalpost, his face buried in his shirt, it was evident that his World Cup was over.

A little while earlier, just before noon on a hot sunny today, Hardik was doing resistance training on the practice pitch. It was just Hardik, team’s scientific advisor Mitchell David Pemberton and physiotherapist Abhinav Sathe.

With his left leg strapped, tightly around his injured hamstring, Hardik was doing the high-knee exercise while Pemberton walked behind, pulling at the resistance band tied around the player’s waist.

After a couple of repetitions, Pemberton asked Hardik to test his hamstring with a slow jog. After a few small strides, Hardik stopped and shook his head while his body slumped. That was the moment when Hardik was hit by the grave realisation of his World Cup coming to an early end. All the hopeful energy vanished from his demeanour. He picked up his hockey stick, walked to the semi-circle on the far side and struck at a ball — it was a mishit. He flung his stick away in anger, walked up to the goalpost and sat down in dismay.

Pemberton and Sathe walked up to the 24-year-old, consoled him for a long time, picked up his hockey stick before the three left the ground.

It is sometimes easy to overlook the humanity in professional sports. Throughout the Hardik injury saga, the conversation has revolved around how much time would it take for him to recover or how would his absence affect India’s medal chances, but not on the state of the player’s mind. It is never easy to cover stories of heartbreak in sports. But nothing compares to actually witnessing the moment when a dream shatters.

Aussies maul SA

Rourkela: Star forward Blake Govers scored four times, including from a penalty stroke, as title contenders Australia thrashed South Africa 9-2 to top Pool A and directly qualify for the quarterfinals of the FIH Hockey World Cup today. In another Pool A match, Argentina and France drew 5-5 draw in a dramatic contest. Australia will now face either Malaysia or Spain in the quarterfinals. PTI