Simranjeet Singh,
the Indian forward who scored two goals against Germany in the bronze medal
match in the Tokyo Olympics, was added to the Indian team as one of the “alternate
athletes” in team events because of the COVID-19 pandemic. On Thursday,
Simranjeet, scoring two brilliant goals, ensured a comeback for the Indian men’s
hockey team.

The 24-year-old
Simranjeet was part of the Indian squad that won the 2016 Men’s Hockey Junior
World Cup. Singh debuted on the senior team in 2018 and was part of India’s silver
medal winning team at the 2018 Men’s Hockey Championships Trophy.

Simranjeet Singh
was trained at the Surjit Hockey Academy in Jalandhar, Punjab. Simranjeet’s
cousin Gurjant Singh is also an international-level hockey player.   

India defeated Germany in the bronze medal playoff at the Tokyo Olympics on Thursday to win their first hockey medal in 41 years.

In the semifinal, world no. 3 India played into the hands of world champions Belgium with their defence succumbing under relentless pressure from the Red Lions to concede a bulk of penalty corners throughout the match and lose 2-5 in the semifinals.