New Delhi: A frustrating doping ban rocked Jarmanpreet Singh's career in 2016, but that bitter episode has long been forgotten and the defender is all set for his Olympic debut in Paris later this month.
Jarmanpreet, a regular member of the Indian hockey team in recent years, was chosen among the 16-member Indian team for the Paris Games.
"It wasn't easy. It was one of my darkest phases, with a lot of uncertainties," Jarmanpreet said of the 2016 to 2018 doping ban.
"Players don't usually come out of a setback like this. Losing two years without playing is a big void in the sport," he recalled.
Jarmanpreet was then a promising player en route to playing for India in the 2016 Youth World Cup when he received a doping ban.
The Punjab player did not give up and served a two-year period in exile before returning to competitive hockey and then the senior Indian team.
"But I was persistent and knew I had to bounce back. I don't think I could have done this without a strong national structure where I could show the selectors that I still had strength," Jarmanpreet, who is now an Income Tax officer, said in a statement from Hockey India.
"In 2018, after the Hockey India Senior Men's National Championship, I was among the probable 50 in the camp. Hockey India gave me the opportunity to rebuild my career. I was selected for the senior men's national programme, where I was given the opportunity. to catch up with my teammates and make my senior debut for India.
"They saw that potential in me and I didn't give up on my dream of playing for India in the Olympics," he said.
The 27-year-old has played 98 international matches since he debuted for India at the 2018 Champions Trophy in Breda, Netherlands, where India won the silver medal.
He was part of the Indian team that won a gold medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023 and the silver-winning team at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Now in Switzerland, where the Indian team is undergoing a mental conditioning camp, Jarmanpreet is excited and eager to experience his first participation in the Olympics.
"The journey so far with this team has been incredible. We have gone through the ups and downs as a strong unit. Now, we are focused on our goal and are in the last block of our preparations.
"I am very excited and eager to start our campaign at the Paris Olympic Games," he said.
Jarmanpreet, a regular member of the Indian hockey team in recent years, was chosen among the 16-member Indian team for the Paris Games.
"It wasn't easy. It was one of my darkest phases, with a lot of uncertainties," Jarmanpreet said of the 2016 to 2018 doping ban.
"Players don't usually come out of a setback like this. Losing two years without playing is a big void in the sport," he recalled.
Jarmanpreet was then a promising player en route to playing for India in the 2016 Youth World Cup when he received a doping ban.
The Punjab player did not give up and served a two-year period in exile before returning to competitive hockey and then the senior Indian team.
"But I was persistent and knew I had to bounce back. I don't think I could have done this without a strong national structure where I could show the selectors that I still had strength," Jarmanpreet, who is now an Income Tax officer, said in a statement from Hockey India.
"In 2018, after the Hockey India Senior Men's National Championship, I was among the probable 50 in the camp. Hockey India gave me the opportunity to rebuild my career. I was selected for the senior men's national programme, where I was given the opportunity. to catch up with my teammates and make my senior debut for India.
"They saw that potential in me and I didn't give up on my dream of playing for India in the Olympics," he said.
The 27-year-old has played 98 international matches since he debuted for India at the 2018 Champions Trophy in Breda, Netherlands, where India won the silver medal.
He was part of the Indian team that won a gold medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023 and the silver-winning team at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Now in Switzerland, where the Indian team is undergoing a mental conditioning camp, Jarmanpreet is excited and eager to experience his first participation in the Olympics.
"The journey so far with this team has been incredible. We have gone through the ups and downs as a strong unit. Now, we are focused on our goal and are in the last block of our preparations.
"I am very excited and eager to start our campaign at the Paris Olympic Games," he said.
