From being hapless victim of a TV sting to Olympic medallist: Lalit Upadhyay's journey to stardom

Indian hockey star Lalit Upadhyay overcame early career setbacks to win Olympic bronze and aims for gold in Paris.

From being a hapless victim of a sting operation at the start of his career to becoming an Olympic medallist, Indian men's hockey team striker Lalit Upadhyay has worked hard to rebuild his career and considers all the setbacks as blessings in disguise.

At the the age of 17 in 2008, Lalit's fledging career came to a sudden halt when he was embroiled in an unnecessary scandal for no fault of his.

Posing as an agent, a reporter from a TV channel offered then Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) secretary K Jothikumaran a sponsorship deal only if a player of their choice was taken into the Indian team, and Lalit's name was taken as a bait.

Lalit was unaware of such a 'deal' and shaken by the incident, he almost quit hockey.

"If this happens to any boy who is immature and has come into the team with big dreams, he would be shattered. We had only heard about India winning eight Olympic medals but had not seen it happen in front of us. It was a dream to play in the Olympics and win a medal," Lalit told PTI Bhasha.

"But in a way it was a blessing in disguise for me. When I faced all this in the beginning, I became mentally stronger. Although I have forgotten that incident, whenever I remember it, I feel stronger.

"Now the circumstances have changed a lot, social media has also come, so it will not happen with anyone. I consider myself lucky that I have left that behind and now going to play in the Olympics for the second time. Whenever I wear this jersey, I get inspired to do something special," said the 30-year-old forward, who was a vital member of India's bronze medal-winning side in Tokyo.