Uttam Singh (hockey player) Height, Age, Girlfriend, Family, Biography & More

Some Lesser Known Facts About Uttam Singh

• Uttam Singh is an Indian field hockey player. He became the captain of the Indian junior men’s hockey team in 2022. Under his captainship, India won the Sultan of Johor Cup 2022, and the Men’s Junior Asia Cup Hockey 2023.

• When Uttam Singh was ten years old, he started playing hockey at a training facility in the Karampur village in Ghazipur, where he was coached by the late Thakur Tej Bahadur Singh who was also the supervisor of the academy. In September 2022, this academy turned into a stadium named Karampur Hockey Stadium. ^[1]The Times of India Later, he moved to the Sports Authority of India Centre (SAI), Lucknow, where he continued to work on his skills to improve his game. Uttam Singh, while talking about his mentor, Tej Bahadur Singh, in an interview, said,
  

  My father could not continue playing because of family pressure. He was the sole breadwinner and hence couldn’t focus on the game. It wasn’t easy for him to take care of my expenses as well. But Tej Bahadur Singh, who passed away this year, and his brother Radhe Mohan Singh took care of my needs even after I moved to SAI Lucknow.”

• Uttam Singh’s father was an aspiring hockey player but had to give up on his dream of playing hockey professionally due to financial problems faced by the family after the untimely demise of his father. Uttam Singh’s father later started to use all his little savings to support his son and live his own dream of becoming a hockey player through his son. ^[2]The Indian Express

• Uttam Singh was raised in a family with a low income and didn’t have access to basic amenities like a fan or a cooler until he moved into a hostel.

• In 2019, he qualified for the Jr. Men National Coaching Camp. In the same year, he played as a team member of Uttar Pradesh in the Indian Junior Men’s National Championship 2019.

• In 2021, he made his international debut in the Men’s FIH Hockey Junior World Cup campaign that was hosted in India in which India finished fourth; India lost the semi-finals against Germany that eventually became the runner-up of the tournament.

𝙐𝙩𝙩𝙖𝙢 naam, 𝙐𝙩𝙩𝙖𝙢 kaam 😎

Uttam Singh bags India's first goal in the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup 2021 🏆#IndiaKaGame #JWC2021 #RisingStars pic.twitter.com/zIJslRBfyi

— Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) November 24, 2021

• Uttam Singh was selected in the senior Indian hockey team for the Hero Asia Cup 2022 held in Jakarta, where India finished third. Uttam Singh emerged as the Rising Player of the Tournament at the Hero Asia Cup 2022.
  

  Uttam Singh receiving the Rising Player of the Tournament Award at the Hero Asia Cup 2022

• In October 2022, Uttam Singh attained the captaincy of the Indian Junior Men’s hockey team that represented India at the Sultan of Johor Cup held in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. In the Sultan of Johor Cup finals, Uttam Singh scored twice in the penalty shootouts to lead India to an exciting 5-4 victory over Australia.

• In 2023, he led the Indian hockey team in the Men’s Junior Asia Cup hockey tournament held in Salalah, Oman, where the Indian team secured a 2-1 win over Pakistan in a thrilling final in which Uttam Singh emerged as the Player of the Match. With this win, India successfully managed to defend their title at the Men’s Junior Asia Cup.

• While he was training at SAI Lucknow, he was assisted by Raj Kumar Pal, a senior hockey player, who helped him improve his techniques such as dodging, tackling, and passing.

• In an interview, while talking about the hardships he faced in his career, he said,
  

  his mind goes back to the days he had to train and train, without knowing where his big chance was coming from.”

• His quickness and agility on the field are among the qualities that set him apart as a forward hockey player.
  

  Uttam Singh playing the forward position

• His idol is his senior PR Sreejesh, a goalkeeper and the former captain of the Indian national hockey team. His junior men’s hockey team’s jersey number, 16, was inspired by PR Sreejesh, his idol, who used to wear the same jersey number.

• Another hockey player that he idolises is his senior Manpreet Singh. Manpreet Singh was the captain of the Indian field hockey team at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics which won the bronze medal. Uttam frequently learns from Manpreet Singh the value of understanding the basics of the game. In an interview, when asked about one of the most important lessons he learned from Manpreet Singh, Uttam said,
  

  Zyada pass karke kheloge toh aur bhi accha kheloge (the more you pass and play, the better you will get). In the first four to five minutes of the match, don’t concede but look to score. If you start the match well, you will finish the match well.”

• In 2022, India won the Sultan of Johor Cup after 8 years in which the Indian team was led by Uttam Singh.

• Uttam Singh was supposed to captain the 20-member Indian Junior Hockey Team in the 4 Nations Tournament, which was to be held in Dusseldorf, Germany, from 18 August to 22 August 2023. However, he had to withdraw from the team because of an injury he suffered during the training camp at SAI Bengaluru.

• In an interview, when asked about how his role as a captain shaped him, Uttam said,
  

  When I used to play for the junior team as a player, then I would think of giving my 100 per cent on the field and giving enough effort for the team. We get more serious during the one-hour preparation in the camp rather than getting serious before the tournament. To play that one match, I toil in the preparations and that is something I always do. I am captain on the field but I am a player before that.”