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One of the senior-most members of the Indian hockey team and set to participate in a record fourth Olympics campaign is Manpreet Singh. He is a dynamic midfielder who has registered 370 appearances for the national team apart from winning numerous accolades including a gold at the Hangzhou Asian Games and a bronze at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
Singh will touch the milestone set by the legendary Dhanraj Pillay if he plays in the upcoming Paris Olympics. Apart from goalkeeper PR Sreejesh, he is one of the most experienced campaigners in a squad that has a perfect blend of youth and experience.
His wife Illi Saddique is delighted for him to partake in his fourth Games. She said in an interaction series organized by Hockey India (Hockey Te Charcha - Familia):
“Delighted. We are super proud, super excited, and super stoked to see him play his fourth Olympics. Seeing him do what he loves and what he is meant to do makes the family very happy and delighted.
"When I speak to his mother, we always say that the journey from playing his first game, his first tournament, to going on to play his fourth Olympics is something we never imagined. But he keeps proving himself, and he loves playing for the nation.”
Very few people might be aware of this that Manpreet Singh is not only a family man but also a team man and a dedicated servant to the nation. Why? Saddique reveals:
“I was in Indonesia a day before the incident (Manpreet's father passed away) happened. We talked to his father, and he said he was excited to see Manpreet play and wanted his son to win the competition. When we broke the news to Manpreet, he was devastated and unsure of what to do. He said, 'I don't think I should go back. The team needs me. This is what my father wanted from me; I shouldn't leave them.’"
She added, “I advised him to take a day and settle things at home. When we reached his home, there wasn’t a single tear from his eyes when he saw his father's body. And when we sat next to his father's body, he said, 'I have come to see you off and I'm going to keep making you proud no matter what. I'm going back. My team needs me,'" she added.
Illi Saddique recalls how she celebrated India's victory at Tokyo Olympics
The Indian hockey team won a historic bronze medal to end the Tokyo Olympics. Saddique was in a meeting during the match and when India won, she dropped her meetings and started celebrating the victory.
She recalled:
“At that time, we were already married, and I was back in Malaysia due to COVID. I was pregnant, but no one knew about it. I was in a meeting during the match, and the moment they won, I dropped my meetings and began cheering, calling everyone. It was such an emotional moment. Everyone found out we were expecting and they thought the pregnancy was a lucky charm for him.”
"As his wife, I was super proud that he gave his everything. I remember he restricted his communication with us. He switched off his phone and social media to focus entirely on the Olympics, and it all paid off with him bringing back the Bronze medal under his captaincy. It was a proud, emotional moment, something we will never forget,” she concluded.
