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Rupinder Pal Singh Biography

Rupinder Pal Singh Biography

DATE

12 Jun 2021

Rupinder Pal Singh Biography

An young boy aspires to play hockey for the national team. He belongs to a modest family. His idol is his elder brother, a former state-level hockey player, who sacrificed his career, education and instead took up for a fringe job so that Rupinder could pursue hockey. The boy repays the sacrifices by his brother and the family by living up to his potential.


Today the boy has turned into a man who plays as a fullback and dons the famous Indian jersey. He has went on to make a name for himself as one of the best drag flickers in the world. Yes, we are talking about none other than Rupinder Pal Singh, one of the most versatile fullbacks of the Indian team.

From travelling in a sleeper class of train and skipping food so that money could be saved for buying return ticket to affording a ₹ 25 lakh worth car — there has been a sea of transformation in Rupinder Pal Singh’s life. Here is the Rupinder Pal Singh Biography for our readers. This is not just a biography but also a success story too for Indian hockey.


Details
Full NameRupinder Pal Singh
Age28
Sport CategoryHockey - Position: Fullback
Date of BirthNovember 11, 1990
HometownFaridkot, Punjab
Height6' 4"

Rupinder Pal Singh Biography

Early life

Rupinder KreedonRupinder with his mother 

His father Harinder Singh was also a hockey player from Punjab. He was also running a business but due to sudden loss in business and some financial he quit the sport. A father concreted a dream to watch his son play hockey in Indian jersey. His son at the age of 10 year lifted the stick and started towards his ambition.

Even Rupinder’s elder brother Amarbir Singh played hockey but due to financial circumstances he chose to do a job for fulfulling the financial needs of family. The dream of father became the vision of the younger son Rupinder Pal Singh and he turned into reality.

Journey so far

Rupinder Pal Singh playing for national side

At his primary stage of his career, he achieved his first hat-trick against Britain in 2011. He was also the part of Men in Blue team for Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in 2010 where India secured Gold. One can say, this was the big step to fame for this young talent since he was actually included solely due to the absence on Sandeep Singh. He proved his mettle as he became significant player in the 2011 Asian Men’s Hockey Champions Trophy.

Every athlete has a bad patch, so did he! Rupinder was injured in 2012 but regained his form and was included in the match series against South Africa in the same calendar. He was one of the top scorers in the Asian Champions Trophy, an event in 2012 where Rupinder managed to score four goals, including one goal against arch rivals Pakistan in the finals.

The wonderful times just kept adding on for this young player as he won the top scorer award in 2013 for the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup. Following that in the same year, Rupinder hit six goals in the Men’s Hockey Asia Cup which led India to win Silver. In 2014, During the Hockey World Cup against Spain, the score was 1-1 where Rupinder was the skilled one to score. He was a part of the Men’s Hockey World Cup in the same year. In brief, the year 2014 was a big turning point for him. He was involved in the 2014 Commonwealth Games where the India clinched silver.

In 2014-2015’s Men’s FIH Hockey World League, Men in Blue was successful in winning the bronze medal. He played in Rio Olympics but failed to impress and from there he was on and off from the field.

Comeback in national side

After 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, where India missed a medal, Rupinder was dropped for the Champions Trophy in Holland. But he was picked again for the upcoming Asian Games. India failed to impress in the Asian Games Jakarta. He was also part of 2014 gold medal winning Asian Games squad.

Hockey India League

Rupinder was signed by the Delhi based club after his brilliant performance in Asian Champions Trophy. He proved his worth as he bagged seven goals for the team which finished second in the league. In the next season, Rupinder’s side won the 2014 Hockey India League, with Rupinder scoring seven goals. Rupinder was adjudged as the Player of the Tournament at the 2016 Hockey India League. On the basis of his performance, Delhi Waveriders went on to secure the third position at the HIL that year. In 2017, he captained the Delhi Waveriders, taking the team to the semi-final stage.

Achievements

MedalEventCategory
Gold2011 Asian Championship Trophy Ordos CityTeam
Silver2012 Asian Championship Trophy DohaTeam
Silver2013 Asia Cup, IpoahTeam
Gold2014 Asian Games, IncheonTeam
Gold2016 Asian Championship Trophy, Kuantan MalaysiaTeam
Bronze2018 Asian Games, JakartaTeam

 

More than a game

Rupinder Pal Singh headbandRupinder never plays without a headband

Across the world, athletes have been trend-setters. However, some of our Indian sportsmen are not far behind in this department. Hockey player Rupinder Pal Singh has been wearing different hairdos and trendy headgears. What makes it more interesting is that Singh has a cool wardrobe, super-fit body and envious height to pull it off. He swears by his favourite headbands when he is on field scoring goals.

Lesser known facts

  • With two goals against Ireland and one against Germany, Rupinder was India’s top scorer at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
  • He is a core fitness freak.
  • Being a hockey player, Rupinder also worked as manager at the Indian Overseas Bank in Chennai.
  • A long-standing fixture on the Indian field hockey team, Rupinder, is fondly known as ‘Bob’ by his teammates.

The six-foot stud from Punjab who took up hockey at the age of 11 and there was no turning back now. Rupinder is known for being a penalty corner specialist. He always displays his skill and efficiency alongside other veteran players on the ground. Without a doubt the 29-year-old has been one of the key members of men in blue.