New Delhi, September 21 (HS). Indian hockey team captain Harmanpreet Singh said on being nominated for the FIH Player of the Year Award that it is an honor for me to be included among some of the best players in the world. He said that all this has been possible due to my team. This would not have been possible without their support. The 28-year-old defender has previously won this prestigious award in 2020-21 and 2021-22.
In a statement issued by Hockey India on Saturday, Indian captain Harmanpreet Singh said that it is a great honour for me to be nominated again for the FIH Player of the Year Award. I am very happy to be included among some of the best players in the world, but I would also like to say that this would not have been possible without the support of my team. The goals I have scored in the FIH Hockey Pro League and Paris Olympics 2024 have been possible because the team created opportunities for me to score goals.
He said that our aim is to bring back the old glory days. We will leave no stone unturned to make this dream a reality but we cannot do it on our own, we need support from our fans. As the team prepares for the next Olympic cycle, I urge the fans to watch the games and support us.
Harmanpreet along with Thierry Brinkman and Joep de Mol of the Netherlands, Hannes Mueller of Germany and Jacques Wallace of England are the players nominated for this award by the International Hockey Federation. Apart from Harmanpreet, former Indian goalkeeper PR Sreejesh has been nominated for the Goalkeeper of the Year award. Both Harmanpreet and Sreejesh played an important role in India's performance at the Paris Olympics, where the country won the bronze medal by defeating Spain 2-1.
The Indian captain had performed brilliantly in the Paris Olympics. He played an important role in helping the Indian men's hockey team win the bronze medal with his brilliant defense and excellent goal scoring skills from penalty corners. He scored 10 goals in the Paris Olympics. After the Olympic Games, under the captaincy of Harmanpreet, the Indian team recently won the Asian Champions Trophy 2024 held in China. While leading the team, he once again performed brilliantly, scoring 7 goals in the tournament. He won the Player of the Tournament title.
Voting for the FIH Hockey Stars Awards will be held till October 11. The winners will be announced after that.