Awards are a big motivation: Harmanpreet

Harmanpreet Singh, who missed out on the FIH’S ‘rising star of the year’ award, made up for it by bagging the ‘emerging player award’ of the Hockey India League (HIL) here on Sunday.

The 21-one-year-old dragflicker, who turned out for Dabang Mumbai for the second year in a row, scored seven goals and contributed to Mumbai’s successful run before they lost the final to Kalinga Lancers.

FIH’S ‘rising star of the year’ award winner Arthur van Doren of Belgium, part of the Uttar Pradesh Wizards who finished second runners-up, had four goals to his name.

“It will be unfair to compare the awards --- the FIH rising star and HIL emerging player. The FIH award is adjudged on the basis of performance for the entire year, while the HIL award is based on the showing in one tournament.

“I was not disappointed on losing the FIH award, because even being nominated for such a prestigious award was an honour and motivation for me.

“I am happy that my performance in HIL remained decent and I contributed to my franchise making their maiden final. The enjoyment of the award would have doubled had we lifted the title,” said Harmanpreet, who hails from Timmowal village in Amritsar district.

“On the personal front, every award and recognition plays an important role in a sportsperson’s career and I hope the emerging player award will help cement my place in the senior team. I was part of the senior national squad last year for important tournaments like Olympics (2016 Rio Games), but I’m yet to leave an impression on the senior circuit,” he added.

Harmanpreet was part of the 2016 Junior World Cup winning squad.

Asked where he needed to focus more to make the transition from the junior to senior circuit, he said, “The HIL is a top-level tournament where the world’s best players take the field. So playing and scoring consistently in the league is proof that you are ready for the senior circuit.

“But there is scope for improvement at every level and I have to focus more on the speed of my dragflicks along with working on variations,” said Harmanpreet, whose next target is to be part of the squad for the Sultan Azlan

Shah Cup in Malaysia in

April this year.