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Image depicting Hockey player Nilam's village-to-World Cup journey!

Hockey player Nilam’s village-to-World Cup journey!

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The journey of Indian hockey player Nilam Xess from a village in Odisha to the forefront of the hockey World Cup spotlight is fascinating.

Nilam Xess was born and brought up in a village in Odisha.  The village didn’t have electricity service until 2017.

So, Nilam’s early life was spent basically without electricity. On the modest farm, he used to assist his parents in harvesting vegetables like potatoes and cauliflower when he was a child.

The 24-year-old hockey defender prepares to make his World Cup debut against Spain at a stadium in Odisha. Tickets for this match, as well as all of the other World Cup games that were played in his hometown, were purchased very immediately after they went on sale.

Officials in the area claim that this is due to the enthusiasm for the sport. In addition, locals desire to cheer on the hometown hero.

Important Details

  • The beginning of Xess’s hockey career took place in a village in Odisha.
  • The local ground in this dry village had two deteriorating goalposts with shredded nets.
  • In order to prevent the ball from colliding with automobiles travelling on the road adjacent to the field, a massive broken net has been strung between two bamboo poles.
  • When Xess first set foot on this soil, he was probably seven years old.
  • After getting back from school, he would assist my parents on the farm until dusk, when the villagers would get together for a game of hockey.
  • Xess is able to transition fluidly into the technical complexities of the game.
  • Xess’s goal was to finish his education and find a respectable profession.
  • He claims that hockey was merely a recreational activity and nothing more than that.
  • When he saw the London Olympics in 2012, he set himself a goal to play for India.
  • After a lot of hard work and struggle, he was finally selected for his first hockey national camp.
  • With the right training and mentoring, he has championed the skills of the game.
  • And it will be these characteristics that come in help when India opens their campaign against Spain in front of a sell-out crowd.

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