Eager to win gold at Jakarta: Rupinder
Boosted by a strong comeback in the three-match series against New Zealand last week, ace drag-flicker Rupinder Pal Singh says the Indian hockey team is eager to carry forward the momentum into the upcoming Asian Games and win the gold medal.
“Personally for me, playing against a quality team like New Zealand who won the silver medal at the Commonwealth Games was very important. Since I had missed out all the action during the Champions Trophy, I had to find my rhythm ahead of the Asian Games in Jakarta,” Rupinder said. The Commonwealth Games in April was Rupinder’s last appearance for the Indian team at a major event. A hamstring injury during the quadrennial event meant that he had to be rested for the Champions Trophy where the team finished runners up.
While the team was up against top teams in the world, Rupinder had to remain in the national camp and work on his fitness.
“It is frustrating for any player to be watching the team play on TV but it was critical for me to undergo rehab in order to be match-fit and available for the Asian Games selections,” Rupinder expressed after the 3-0 series win against New Zealand.
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In order to gain momentum again, Rupinder appeared in four practice matches against Bangladesh early this month where he scored 10 goals through penalty corners and played two practice matches against South Korea where he scored one goal.
NADA RECORDS 71 POSITIVE TESTS
Athletics continued to be India’s Achilles’ heel in its anti-doping campaign, accounting for 21 of the 71 positive tests recorded by the National AntiDoping Agency in the last one year, according to the latest WADA report. According to the report, NADA tested 3174 urine and blood samples during the last year which showed 71 Adverse Analytical Finding (AAF), which indicates the number of positive tests. There were 9 Atypical Findings (ATF), samples that were found suspicious and required further investigations, as per the World Anti-Doping Agency.
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