To compete with the younger players in the team, the Olympian emphasised on the importance of maintaining his fitness. So far, he has played 402 matches for India, which is the second most behind Dilip Tirkey's tally of 412 games
Manpreet Singh (Pic: File Pic)
After the Paris Olympics and the Asian Champions Trophy, the second most capped player in Indian hockey, Manpreet Singh, has said that he needs to focus on his diet to keep up with the current standards of the sport.
"After last year's Paris Olympics and Asian Champions Trophy, I felt that if I have to extend my career, I will have to work on my fitness," Manpreet told PTI.
He had also led India to the historic bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics.
Further, he added that to compete with the younger players in the team, he is emphasising on the importance of maintaining his fitness.
"I am 30-plus, and now I have to maintain my fitness at the level of the young players in the team to compete with them. Experience alone is not enough," he said.
So far, Manpreet has played 402 matches for India, which is the second most behind Dilip Tirkey's tally of 412 matches.
The 33-year-old also revealed that he has stopped eating sweets and junk food, following which he has lost seven kilos.
"I have almost stopped eating sweets and junk food. I eat that only once a week, but in very small quantities. Apart from gym, I started working on core workouts, speed and lost seven kilos of weight," said the Jalandhar-born athlete.
"With less weight, the speed on the field improved. I also got very good results in Yoyo and speed tests. I am feeling very good about myself," he added.
"My first target is the Asian Games 2026. I know that I can continue till then with my current fitness. After that, I will assess, and if I feel otherwise, then I will make room for another player. I consider Cristiano Ronaldo as my idol, who is so fit even at the age of 40," he said.
He also said the current Indian team is at par with heavyweights Australia, the Netherlands and Germany on fitness, intensity and skills, and the only difference is in execution.
"Even before the Tokyo Olympics, the team had the confidence to defeat big teams. In terms of fitness and skill, we are at par with them. The only difference is in the execution, and we are focusing on that," said Manpreet.
(With PTI Inputs)
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