‘Fitter’ Manpreet targets Asiad glory, says India at par with heavyweaights

new Delhi: Two Olympics medals, over 400 International caps and still going strong, Manpreet Singh, the second-most capped player in Indian hockey, has found a second wind by tweaking his lifestyle and diet.

The former India captain, who led India to a historic bronze at the Tokyo Olympics, realised after the Paris Games last year that staying relevant in the fast-paced world of modern hockey meant one thing: transforming his fitness.

“After last year’s Paris Olympics and Asian Champions Trophy, I felt that if I have to extend my career, I will have to work on my fitness,” the 32-year-old told PTI Bhasha in an interview.

“I am 30-plus and now I have to maintain my fitness at the level of the young players in the team to compete with them. Experience alone is not enough,” added Manpreet all geared up for the Asia Cup, a World Cup qualifier, to be held in Bihar later this month.

For the last one year, Manpreet who has played 402 matches for India -- second only to Dilip Tirkey’s 412 -- in an illustrious career of 14 years, has now drastically altered his diet and training regimen.

He has cut down on sweets and junk food, shifted to a high-protein, low-carb diet, and incorporated specialised workouts focused on speed and core strength.

“I have almost stopped eating sweets and junk food. I eat that only once a week but in very small quantities. Apart from gym, I started working on core workouts, speed and lost seven kilos of weight,” added the veteran from Mithapur, Punjab who made his debut for India in 2011 at the age of 19.

While there will be speculation whether he will aim for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, Manpreet is not making long-term commitments just yet.

“My first target is the Asian Games 2026. I know that I can continue till then with my current fitness. After that I will assess and if I feel otherwise then I will make room for another player. I consider Cristiano Ronaldo as my idol who is so fit even at the age of 40,” he said.

He also said the current Indian team is at par with heavyweights Australia, Netherlands and Germany on fitness, intensity and skills and the only difference is of execution.

“Even before the Tokyo Olympics, the team had the confidence to defeat big teams. In terms of fitness and skill, we are at par with them. The only difference is in the execution and we are focusing

on that,” he said.