India will begin their Paris Olympics campaign against New Zealand in their first Pool B match.© X (Twitter)
Indian men's hockey team forward Abhishek feels that the mental conditioning camp that the players underwent at renowned explorer Mike Horn's base in Switzerland ahead of the Paris Olympics helped them prepare for pressure-packed situations. After completing a three-day mental conditioning camp at Horn's base, the Indian team will play a few warm-up matches in the Netherlands before heading to the Paris Olympics.
With India winning the bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics, expectations will be high on the team.
India will begin their Paris Olympics campaign against New Zealand in their first Pool B match.
“For months now we have been focusing on the physical side of the game and this camp is exactly what we needed,” Abhishek said in a Hockey India release.
“The team has spent time interacting and bonding on and off the field and learning how to handle pressure situations,” he said.
Abhishek, who has played 74 matches for India since making his international debut in 2022, will be making his Olympic debut.
“It has been my dream since I was 14 to play for India at the Olympics,” Abhishek said, asserting that he is someone who does not succumb to pressure.
“The pressure of a big tournament doesn't deter me or change my approach. I just try to execute on the pitch,” he said.
For Abhishek, playing for India at the Olympics would be a much bigger achievement than his family had ever imagined.
“When I started out in hockey, all we expected was a civil service job at best. My parents are overjoyed to see me reach this level, especially my brother, who has always been my biggest supporter,” he said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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