AI Generated Summary
- It is the culmination of years of persistence by a young athlete who began playing at the age of eight, a mother who stitched clothes to support the household, a father who combined farming with daily-wage labour, and a coach who recognised the speed of a village girl long before she became an India player.
- When Sukhveer Kaur took the field in Indian colours at the AHF Junior Asia Cup 2026, she carried with her a journey that had begun far from the international hockey arena — in a modest home in Bathinda’s Bhai Rupa village where a family of six once shared a single room.
- Her abilities caught the attention of Rajwant Singh, a hockey coach at the Punjab Institute of Sports (PIS) Centre in Bathinda, when he arrived to conduct trials.
The 20-year-old from Bhai Rupa is the only Punjab player in the Indian junior women’s hockey team that lifted the AHF Junior Asia Cup 2026
When Sukhveer Kaur took the field in Indian colours at the AHF Junior Asia Cup 2026, she carried with her a journey that had begun far from the international hockey arena — in a modest home in Bathinda’s Bhai Rupa village where a family of six once shared a single room.
The 20-year-old is the lone player from Punjab in the Indian junior women’s hockey team that won the continental title this year. For Sukhveer and her family, however, the achievement represents much more than a sporting milestone.
It is the culmination of years of persistence by a young athlete who began playing at the age of eight, a mother who stitched clothes to support the household, a father who combined farming with daily-wage labour, and a coach who recognised the speed of a village girl long before she became an India player.
Sukhveer’s father, Chamkaur Singh, owns less than an acre of agricultural land and also works as a farm labourer to supplement the family income. Her mother, Kulwinder Kaur, works as a tailor. With four children to raise and limited means, allowing their daughter to travel outside the village to pursue hockey was not an easy choice.
It was also a decision that attracted questions from those around them.
“People would say all sorts of things to us because we were sending a girl to play outside. But I knew that I didn’t want my daughter to sit at home and ruin her life. I wanted her to make something of herself and become independent,” Kulwinder said.
That decision began paying dividends when Sukhveer started receiving a scholarship during her hockey training. Instead of spending the money on herself, she sent it home.
Her mother said Sukhveer was acutely conscious of the family’s financial circumstances despite her young age.
“At a very early age, she took responsibility because she knew how we were suffering,” Kulwinder said.
The scholarship money helped pay for the education of Sukhveer’s younger siblings. She has two sisters and a brother; one of her younger sisters has also taken up sport, while the two youngest children are aged 10 and 11.
“She didn’t spend a single penny on herself. She started sending the money to me so that her younger siblings could study. Saade din badal gaye ohde naal (our days changed because of her),” her mother said.
The change was eventually visible in the family home itself.
Sukhveer remembers a time when all six members of the family had to sleep in the same room. As her hockey career progressed and scholarship money began coming in, her earnings supplemented her mother’s income from tailoring. Together, they were able to add two rooms to the house.
“We all used to sleep in one room,” Sukhveer recalled.
Spotted for her speed at eight
Sukhveer’s entry into organised sport was almost accidental. There was no sporting tradition in her family when, as an eight-year-old, she began spending time at her school athletics ground.
Her abilities caught the attention of Rajwant Singh, a hockey coach at the Punjab Institute of Sports (PIS) Centre in Bathinda, when he arrived to conduct trials. Sukhveer’s speed stood out and she was selected.
“What began as an opportunity soon became a passion, and hockey became an inseparable part of my life,” Sukhveer said.
Rajwant remembers the young player not merely for her physical ability but for the persistence with which she approached training.
“When I would tell the team something or teach them a skill, Sukhveer would repeat it almost 50 times. That is the kind of student she is. I am amazed by her dedication,” he said.
As the years went by, the relationship between coach and player extended beyond the hockey field. Rajwant helped Sukhveer financially whenever possible and tried to shield her training from the pressures created by the family’s circumstances.
“Whenever she was tense because of the family situation, I would keep her mind occupied,” he said.
That support helped Sukhveer continue through a journey that eventually took her from the grounds of Bathinda to the national junior side.
The Junior Asia Cup triumph has now given the family another reason to celebrate, but Sukhveer is already looking towards the next assignment.
For the player who helped transform a one-room house into a three-room family home while pursuing her sporting ambitions, the immediate goal is to carry the same determination onto a bigger international stage.
“Now, I want to work hard and help India perform well at the Junior World Cup,” she said.
