Sanglakpam Nilakanta Sharma
Manipur Olympics Dreams 2020 Tokyo
A Profile

Daniel Chabungbam *

Shanglakpam Nilakanta Sharma :: Manipur Olympics Dreams 2020 Tokyo (Hockey)

Selected for Tokyo Olympics 2021 : Sanglakpam Nilakanta Sharma

Father's Name: Sanglakpam Inaocha Sharma
Mother's Name: Sanglakpam ongbi Kunjarani Devi
Address: Kontha Ahallup Makha Leikai, Imphal East
Date of birth: 2nd May, 1995

Represented Indian Men Hockey Team in

Shanglakpam Nilakanta Sharma (centre- bottom row) :: Manipur Olympics Dreams 2020 Tokyo (Hockey)

Nilakanta Sharma will be one of the ten Olympic debutants in the 16-member Indian Men's Hockey team for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics 2020 Games to be held in Japan from July 23 to August 8.

When he was 7/8 years old he used to ride my bicycle every day to reach the only Hockey ground in his locality which was five kilometres away from my home. Such was his love for hockey that he even used to practice in the mud if they had enough players.

He used to train from 5 am to 8:30 am every day because that was the only time the turf was available. They used to wear football shoes even while practising Hockey. They used to look forward to others in the state to go for the national camp so that the player could get them Hockey sticks and gear.

At last in 2002, he joined the Posterior Hockey Academy Manipur (PHAM) where he was trained till 2009. Nilakanta Sharma got his trainings from (late) Waribam Herojit, Ningthoujam Chandikumar and Kshetrimayum Romesh. He represented Manipur on various tournaments at the National championships.

To live his dream, he decided to train at a Hockey academy managed by Olympian Ashok Dhyanchand in Bhopal. While he was based in Bhopal, Nilakanta Sharma got different facilities which he could not get in Manipur.

He was selected for various National camps. The year was 2010 and that's how his journey started, one which not just taught him about Hockey but life as well. It was like a new beginning for him. That is when he started taking a keen interest in the midfield position.

In 2016, he was part of the Gold Medal winning Junior World Cup Team. However, the big moment finally arrived for him in July 2017 when he debuted during the 2017 Europe Tour.

He was also part of the 2019 FIH Series Finals Gold Medal winning Team and the 2019 Olympic Qualifiers in Bhubaneswar, where they qualified for the Tokyo Olympics. He have played more than 50 matches for India till now. He has a great partnership with all his teammates but especially with Manpreet Singh on and off the field. He has helped him a lot to develop as a player.

Our preparations for the Olympics started last year with the FIH Pro League, where we managed to play well against the top three teams - Belgium, Netherlands and Australia. It is also important to mention that we remained unbeaten in the Tour of Europe earlier this year which shows how seriously we are taking every match.

"The team is extremely confident of our chances at the Tokyo Olympics. We all know our game. We are hopeful of playing to our potential and making history in Tokyo" said, Nilakanta Sharma.

Shanglakpam Nilakanta Sharma (Right) :: Manipur Olympics Dreams 2020 Tokyo (Hockey)

See photo Gallery of Sanglakpam Nilakanta - Part 1 here

See photo Gallery of SSanglakpam Nilakanta - Part 2 here