Raj Kumar Pal

Some Lesser Known Facts About Raj Kumar Pal

• Raj made history as the first player from his village, Karampur, and the district of Ghazipur to join the Indian senior team. He achieved this milestone when he played against Belgium in the Pro League matches in 2020.

• Raj comes from a family of hockey players. Both of his brothers also play hockey. His elder brother has played in national tournaments and now plays for the Indian army, while the middle brother has been part of the national camp but has not played for India. Currently, he plays for the Indian Railways.

• More than 400 boys from Raj’s village have got jobs because of hockey but no one played and represented India at the International level.

• Raj started playing hockey at the age of 10 at Meghbaran Stadium in his village, Karampur.

• Raj was trained by the late Tej Bahadur Singh, who founded the Meghbaran Stadium in 1983.

• Though Raj started playing hockey at the age of 10 his interest in competitive hockey was sparked when he participated in an Under-14 tournament in Lucknow in the year 2010.

• Raj lost his father to a tragic road accident in 2011. Despite this heartbreaking incident, he persevered with the support of his family and his mentor, the late Tej Bahadur Singh, to pursue his dream of playing hockey and representing India at the international level.

• With his dedication and hard work, Raj represented India in the five-nation Under-23 tournament in Belgium in 2018.

• When Raj got the news of his selection in the Paris Olympic team he got every emotion remembering his past and hard work.
  

  When I got the news of my selection in the Olympics-bound team, I cried remembering my past and missed my father a lot. When I called home, my mother also cried. I will never forget my past and it inspires me.”

• Raj represented India at the Paris Olympics in 2024.