Olympian produced by Posterior Hockey Academy Manipur (PHAM)

All in the Family

Hockey seemed like a family game for Kothajit Singh Khadangbam with a unique team of four siblings. Kothajit first picked up the rules and a few skills while playing with his brothers Dhananjoy, Dhaneshwar and Rinenkumar.  While Kothajit made it to the Olympic squad, his brothers played for various clubs, corporates and the state;  and now are stars in their own rights. The Manipur government has recognised their achievements and they are comfortably placed with good jobs.

PHAM brought him to Fame

He has been under the wings of PHAM since he was a kid and this Academy has done a fabulous job on this youngster. PHAM groomed and moulded this young Midfielder with the necessary skills and techniques and was part of the Manipur State squad in his early teens.

Time to move on

Obvious step was to move to SAI Lucknow as it was necessary for him to get trained to reach the international levels. His hard work, dedication & discipline got him in the Indian squad to play at a Test series against South Africa at the Junior level and his performance was exceptional and impressive. Wearing the Indian T-Shirt for the first time brought his so much joy and pride and the feeling he says is hard to describe.

Showered the captaincy.

He was given the responsibility of a Vice-Captain at the Sultan of Johor Cup. Its a huge honour but took up as a challenge.  Whether one is a captain or a player; each player has to perform his part well.  He soon became the regular member of the Indian squad and later played at the AajLah Shah Cup. Every time he goes out on the field he believes in giving his 100% and betters his performances. He was soon picked up in the senior team and now has played many international games but Olympics is the ultimate for every sportsperson and so did Kothaji’s dream began with practices and hard work.

Disappointed to be named as a Standy at the 2012 London Olympics.

Standy not because he didn’t perform well at the qualifiers, but for the Olympic rules of only 16 member team is acceptable. He was disappointed but he showed his sportsmanship by being positive as he knew he had a bright future if he worked hard especially when age is on his side. After all he knew his capabilities and talent. Though it was a  he knew Just wearing the India Jersey and being at the Olympics gives one a High that cannot be expressed.

It was sad to see the way India played and it is not worth remembering a bad game; but many lessons to take home.

From a general perspective.

Team-mates and coaches find him extremely quiet and shy; but he lets his Stick do the talking.  His heart and soul is Hockey and he will be at peace only when India gets a medal at the next Olympics in 2018 but not forgetting to focus on the job at hand. He get intimidated by the way the Europeans play which is indulging in a lot of body play as Asian Hockey doesn’t. He gives a lot of emphasis on diet and strenuous workout which is an integral part to stay fit.  He loves to spend time with his brothers and family whenever time permits and says and truly cherishes these moments.

Bookofachievers.com hopes to hear about the good news at the 2018 Olympics and wishes this young unassuming genius good luck.

Raed more : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kothajit_Singh