Hard work, no empty boast: Sumit even worked as a dhaba cleaner
As news of the Indian hockey team winning the bronze medal match by defeating Germany 5-4 at the Tokyo Olympics reached the native village of player Sumit Kumar, 25, celebrations broke out at Kurad in Sonepat district of Haryana.
Residents of the Jat-dominated village came out on the streets to congratulate the Sumit’s family. But behind Thursday’s glory is a story of focus and struggle.
Travelled ticketless to save for fruits
Midfielder Sumit Kumar, who belongs to a landless labourer’s family, did odd jobs, including working as a dhaba cleaner, to make ends meet. His elder brother, Amit Kumar, quit playing hockey so that Sumit could get the facilities needed to make it to Team India.
“Before selecting the sports hostel in Gurugram, Sumit worked at dhabas in Murthal for five years so that he could arrange for the diet and other expenses. Milk was a luxury. During his early days, he used to travel in trains without ticket to save for meals and fruits,” Amit said.
Amit recalled that Sumit had started playing hockey simply to get a pair of shoes and a hockey stick being provided free by the academy coach at their village. “Slowly, he started spending the entire day on the hockey ground. At one time, we thought that he might quit the game due to the family’s poor financial condition, but he continued. After three years at the sports hostel, Sumit was selected in the Sports Authority of India’s (SAI) north zone Bahalgarh centre. He didn’t visit home even on weekends to save on the bus fare,” Amit said.