Olympic-bound men's hockey team mid-fielder Hardik Singh had almost given up on his India dream and was planning to pursue a club career in the Dutch League before his former drag-flicker uncle Jugraj Singh stepped in to inspire him. Hardik said he comes from a family that had hockey in its blood but he started feeling straight-jacketed due to limited opportunities at the top level. His grandfather was a coach with the Indian Navy and his uncle Jugraj was a top-notch drag-flicker of the time.

The 22-year-old from Khusropur village near Jalandhar in Punjab said his "journey has been slightly different from my teammates." "I was very lucky to be part of a family where Hockey was in our DNA. I was very fortunate to be around so many hockey players, I always got advice from all corners of the house and my family has had a huge impact on my career. "As a 14-year-old, I moved to Mohali Hockey Academy for further training and quickly rose through the ranks. "I also represented India in the sub-junior category, however, opportunities at the top level never came my way. In 2017, I was on the verge of giving up my dream of playing for India and almost decided to move to the Netherlands to play club Hockey," he said.