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Ahead of the forthcoming Paris Olympics 2024, the Indian men’s hockey team head coach Craig Fulton revealed his mantra for his players is to play the game and not bother about the occasion.
He further stated that he is well aware of the expectations of the team after winning the bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 after beating Germany. It was India's first medal in over four decades in the Games.
“My mantra to players is to play the game, not the occasion. It’s still a hockey match and rules have not changed,” Craig Fulton told PTI Basha in an interview.
“I agree that the expectations are higher after Tokyo bronze but the bottom line is that the team has been progressing well. They are in the top eight from 12th in London (2012) to 8th in Rio (2016) to bronze in Tokyo (2020). It was a big jump and now we are preparing for Paris,” the South African coach added.
Ahead of heading to Paris, the Indian men’s hockey team is all set to travel to renowned adventurer Mike Horn’s base in Switzerland for a three-day training camp to improve their mental toughness.
After the successful camping in Switzerland, the team will move to the Netherlands for a short training camp before taking the flight to Paris for the quadrennial event.
“We take one game at a time” - Craig Fulton
Additionally, Fulton stated that he is a process-driven coach and his focus currently is on the first match of the mega event against New Zealand on Saturday, July 27. Notably, India is named in the group of death alongside reigning Olympic champions Belgium, Australia, Argentina, New Zealand, and Ireland in Pool B.
“We are training for that and we take one game at a time which is the most realistic way to do it,” he said.
Craig Fulton stated that he doesn’t have any complaints despite not getting a full four-year cycle for the preparation of the mega event. Moreover, he is also not bothered about India’s performance at the FIH Pro League. They were placed at the seventh spot in the league and ranked seventh in the latest FIH World Rankings.
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