Hockey star Manpreet Singh loses six kilos, develops six packs to prolong career
And just like that, he breaks ice over an eternal sporting dilemma — the ageing athlete. For a decade-and-a-half, since debuting in 2011, he’s witnessed the insecurities that creep into a players’ psyche, the pitfalls of living in denial of their fading superpowers, and the endless chatter over their relevance. “I didn’t want people to think that I am taking it easy; that I have become slow…” the former captain, 32, says. Story continues below this ad Last September, he had his first brush with reality. India ended the international season with the Asian Champions Trophy title, a month after the Paris Olympics bronze medal, and Manpreet — though overjoyed — experienced an unfamiliar feeling. During the tournament, he felt his feet dragging, reflexes slowing down and huffing and puffing almost every time he had to chase the ball. “I felt heavy,” he says. When he stepped on the weighing scale, the needle stopped at 73 kg. “It was the heaviest I had ever been!” The weight gain, albeit just 3 kilos, was a direct …
