YOUNG ACHIEVERS OF PUNJAB
Talent in Punjab is as diverse as its land and culture. With the numerous fields lit up by the Punjabi youth, we’d throw some light on the young sports personalities below 20 years of age.
Harjeet Singh
19, SAS Nagar, Junior hockey captain
Harjeet captained India in the Junior Asian Championship and also led the India Under-21 team for the eight-nation tournament held in Holland this year. The striker from Kurali is a regular face in the junior circuit and also in the senior’s squad. The midfielder, who was also named the most promising player at the Sultan of Johor Cup Under-21 hockey tournament in 2013, is leading India in the 8th Junior Men’s Asia Cup hockey tournament being held at Kuantan in Malaysia at present. India thrashed Oman 9–0 to enter the semi-finals. Harjeet started playing hockey in 2004 at the stadium in Kurali, his home-town, before shifting base to the Surjeet Hockey stadium in Jalandhar in 2008.
Chandeep Singh
16, Jammu, Inline skater
This spunky teenager is a double amputee skater. He used to be an avid footballer till 2011 but an accidental contact with a high-tension wire running above his house led to his electrocution. He lost both his arms in the incident but that didn’t keep him away from sports. He chose skating and four years down the line, he is a national-level skater in inline. He has competed with able-bodied skaters, showing that grit is all one needs to beat the odds.
Mandeep Kaur Sandhu
16, Ludhiana, Boxer
At 16, Mandeep is no ordinary Class 12 student of a village government school of Ludhiana district. In fact, she is a junior world boxing champ already and has set sights on bigger titles. Her love for boxing started when she wore the gloves for the first time at the age of seven. Her inspiration was her elder brother, who incidentally is also a Class 12 student at the Dr. Bhag Singh Government Senior Secondary School, Chakar, in Jagraon tehsil of Ludhiana district. Mandeep diligently trained for seven hours a day to achieve success at world championships. This year, she won the gold medal in the junior world boxing championship held in Taipei. Earlier, she had won a gold medal from the 4 Nations Boxing Cup held in Serbia. She is a three-time national champion and over the years has won many accolades in Punjab boxing championships.
Shubham Jaglan
11, Panipat, Golfer
This golf prodigy hails from Israna, a small village in Panipat known for wrestlers. Shubham shot to fame by winning two junior world golf championships this year, including the event at San Diego, US. Shubham chose golf over wrestling and took to practising golf at a small course built in his backyard. Ishwar Singh Jaglan, Shubham’s grandfather, sensed his passion for golf and went against the wishes of his family to get him enrolled at the academy. Shubham never looked back after that. His big break came when he was selected by NGO Golf Foundation that helped him pursue his dreams of becoming an international golfer.
