Uttam Singh is an Indian hockey player who serves as the captain of the Indian junior men’s hockey team in 2022. The player gained popularity as he led India to win the 2022 Johor Sultanate Cup and the 2023 Men’s Junior Asian Hockey Cup during his tenure as captain.
Wiki/Biography
Uttam Singh was born on Tuesday, December 10, 2002, in Kalampur, Uttar Pradesh (age 21; as of 2023). His zodiac sign is Sagittarius. Uttam Singh started playing hockey at the age of 10 at a hockey training facility in Karampur village of Ghazipur under the guidance of the late academy director Thakur Tai Thakur Tej Bahadur Singh. The academy was granted the status of Kalampur Hockey Stadium in September 2022. He further honed his skills at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) center in Lucknow.Uttam Singh said in an interview
Due to family pressure, my father was unable to continue playing. He was the sole breadwinner and therefore could not focus on the game. It’s also not easy for him to take care of my expenses. But Tej Bahadur Singh, who passed away this year, and his brother Radhe Mohan Singh took care of my needs even after I moved to SAI Lucknow. “
appearance
Height (approximately): 5′6″
Weight (approximately): 60kg
Hair color: black
Eye color: black
Body measurements (approximately): Bust: 35 inches, Waist: 32 inches, Biceps: 15 inches
family
Parents and siblings
Uttam Singh’s father Krishnakant Singh was a farmer and an aspiring hockey player who, after his father’s sudden death, took up his job to support the family. Giving up on the dream of playing hockey. Now, he is fulfilling his dream through his son Uttam Singh. Not much information is available about his mother and siblings.
Uttam Singh’s Mother’s Day post on Instagram
Profession
In 2015, Uttam Singh moved to West Lucknow and lived in a hostel where he continuously trained and practiced matches. In 2019, he was selected for the Junior Men’s National Coaching Camp and had the opportunity to participate in the 2019 Indian Junior Men’s National Championship as a member of the Uttar Pradesh team. In 2021, he participated in the Men’s International Hockey Junior World Cup hosted by India, where India finished fourth but lost to eventual runner-up Germany in the semi-finals. Uttam Singh made his debut for the Indian hockey team during the Hero Asia Cup 2022 in Jakarta. India finished third in the Hero Asia Cup 2022 with Uttam Singh emerging as the star player of the tournament.
Uttam Singh in Hero Asia Cup 2022
In October 2022, Uttam Singh led the 18-member Indian youth men’s hockey team to participate in the Johor Sultan Cup in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. In the Johor Sultan Cup final, Uttam Singh scored twice in the penalty shootout to lead India to a thrilling 5-4 victory over Australia. Uttam Singh retained his captaincy at the 2023 Men’s Junior Asia Cup Hockey Championship in Salalah, Oman. On June 1, 2023, the Indian team defeated Pakistan 2-1 in a tense final and successfully defended the Asian Youth Cup men’s championship. Uttam Singh was awarded the man of the match.
2023 Asian Cup Men’s Youth Category
Uttam Singh is now focused on the upcoming 13th International Hockey Federation Men’s Hockey Junior World Cup, which will be held on December 5, 2023 at the National Hockey Stadium Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Awards
- Hockey India Jugraj Singh Award 2022 Player of the Year
Uttam Singh receives award from Union Cabinet Minister Anurag Thakur at the fifth annual awards ceremony
Facts/Trivia
- Uttam Singh grew up in a poor family and it wasn’t until he moved to a hotel that he had access to basic facilities like fans and coolers.
- While at SAI Lucknow, senior hockey player Raj Kumar Pal inspired him and helped him improve his skills like dodging, tackling and passing.
- One of the biggest challenges Uttam Singh faced in his life was training relentlessly for ten years without knowing when his big break would come.
- One of the skills that makes him stand out as a forward hockey player is the speed and agility with which he moves around the turf.
Uttam Singh vs Pakistan in Asia Cup 2023
- Uttam Singh greatly admires his senior PR Sreejesh, a goalkeeper and former captain of the Indian national hockey team. The jersey number he chose for the junior men’s hockey team was 16, inspired by the jersey number of his idol PR Sreejesh.
- Uttam Singh also draws inspiration from his senior Manpreet Singh, who led the Indian hockey team to a bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Manpreet Singh often taught him the importance of the basics of the game. In an interview, when asked about one of the major teachings he received from Manpreet Singh, Uttam said:
Zyada pass karke kheloge toh aur bhi accha kheloge (The more you pass and play, the better you become). In the first four to five minutes of the game, don’t concede the ball, score goals. If you can start the game well, you can finish the game well. ”
- Uttam Singh’s favorite teammate is Vishnukant Singh. They live together in the dormitory and in 2022 they both make their senior men’s hockey debuts.
Uttam Singh and Vishnukant Singh
- Team India won the Johor Sultanate Cup 2022 after Uttam Singh captained the team for 8 years.
- He was supposed to lead the 20-member Indian junior hockey team in the Quad Nations Championship in Dusseldorf, Germany from August 18 to 22, 2023, but pulled out of the team due to an injury sustained during the SAI training camp in Bengaluru.
- In an interview, when asked how the role of captaincy shaped him, Uttam said:
When I used to play for the National Youth Team as a player, I would think of giving 100% effort on the court and putting in enough effort for the team. We get more serious during the one-hour prep period in training camp than we do before a game. I’ll prepare hard to play that game, that’s what I’ve been doing. I was a captain on the field, but before that I was a player. ”
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education