Olympics 3 from Jalandhars Mithapur village in Indian hockey team
Clad in the Indian team blazer Manpreet is the second hockey team captain and second flag-bearer of the Indian contingent from Mithapur village. Olympian Pargat Singh MLA from Jalandhar Cantt was the first. Along with Manpreet Singh players Mandeep Singh and Varun Kumar also hail from the village. Another hockey team member Hardik Singh is from nearby Khusropur village.While Mithapur has had a huge section of population serving in the armed forces it is most popular for its illustrious list of hockey greats.Villages Swarup Singh was a member of the 1952 Helsinki Olympic gold winning hockey team Kulwant Singh was a member of the bronze winning hockey team in 1972 and Pargat Singh was part of the hockey teams in the 1988 1992 and 1996 Olympics.Balwinder Singh a coach at the academy said It is a proud moment for us. Generations of hockey players have sought inspiration from the village. Every house here has a player. But this moment is unparalleled. Manpreet trained here and at the Surjit Hockey Academy. The villages Shaheed Darshan Singh Kaypee Stadium is filled with his memories.The huge representation from Punjab after so many years is heartening. The future of the Mithapur academy is bright.