Captain Parth Jagtap, a Pune-born engineer turned Army officer, led the Indian Army Ice Hockey team to a historic 2026 seasonHe picked up hockey at eight and went on to play it in four formats: field, roller, ice and inline. Born and raised in Pune, where he also completed his schooling and engineering, Parth Jagtap went on to win several national championships. After a decisive shift of donning the olive green, today, as Captain Parth Jagtap with the Pune-headquartered Southern Command, he has just led the Indian Army Ice Hockey team through its most successful season, with three podium finishes, including two gold medals.An X post by the Southern Command read, “Army Commander and all ranks of Southern Command congratulate Captain Parth Jagtap of Southern Command for leading the Indian Army Ice Hockey Team with distinction and contributing to a historic season of excellence. Under his leadership, the team won Silver Medal in 5th Lieutenant Governor Ice Hockey Cup at Kargil, Gold Medal at 6th Khelo India Winter Games 2026 at Leh and Gold Medal at 1st India Ice Hockey League at Dehradun. His grit, leadership and sporting excellence reflect the indomitable spirit of the Indian Army and underscore its commitment to nurturing champions through sustained opportunities, structured training and state-of-the-art sporting infrastructure.”Interestingly, Parth was interviewed by the Indian Express, Pune exactly 10 years ago in April 2016 at the age of 18, when he represented India at the 2016 IIHF Inline Hockey World Championship at New Zealand at the age of 18 he was pursuing his engineering degree in Pune. Parth till now has a total of 28 national championships under his belt across three hockey disciplines. After starting with field hockey at the age of eight he took up speed skating in Pune in 2008, which soon evolved into a deeper involvement in roller sports. He transitioned smoothly from skating to roller hockey, inline hockey and eventually to ice hockey.Jagtap completed his schooling at St Joseph’s Boys High School and DAV Public School and subsequently went on to complete the Computer Engineering degree from the Pune Institute of Computer Technology (PICT) while simultaneously dominating the national circuit across field, roller, ice, and inline hockey.Jagtap captained Maharashtra teams for five consecutive years and also completed a 30-hour non-stop skating marathon which was mentioned in the Limca Book of Records. Represented India at the World Roller Games at Barcelona in Spain in July 2019 and at the World Cup Qualifiers Inline Hockey, New Zealand in Apr 2016. He participated in the 27 hour Inline Hockey Marathon held at Hong Kong 2013 and was selected for the India Camp for Under 20 Roller Hockey team at Delhi 2015.In 2021, Captain Jagtap was commissioned into the Indian Army through the Union Public Service Commission process. “Rejecting a purely physical approach, he champions a sophisticated, holistic philosophy — integrating rigorous mental conditioning, yoga, and precision nutrition — treating the tactical complexities of modern warfare with the same split-second strategic thinking required in high-speed hockey.” read the information shared about him by officials.Within the oxygen-thin, high-altitude locations of Kargil and Ladakh, Captain Jagtap led the Indian Army Ice Hockey Team for a highly successful 2025-26 season. Army team clinched Gold at both the 6th Khelo India Winter Games and the inaugural India Ice Hockey League in Dehradun, alongside a hard-fought Silver at the 5th LG Cup in Kargil. “Capt Jagtap He is currently advocating for international exposure and the infusion of global tactics to ensure that the Indian Army doesn’t just participate in the sport, but defines it on the world stage.” officials said.Sushant Kulkarni is a Special Correspondent with The Indian Express in Pune with 12+ years of experience covering issues related to Crime, Defence, Internal Security and Courts. He has been associated with the Indian Express since July 2010. Sushant has extensively reported on law and order issues of Pune and surrounding area, Cyber crime, narcotics trade and terrorism. His coverage in the Defence beat includes operational aspects of the three services, the defence research and development and issues related to key defence establishments. He has covered several sensitive cases in the courts at Pune. Sushant is an avid photographer, plays harmonica and loves cooking. ... Read MoreClick here to join Express Pune WhatsApp channel and get a curated list of our stories© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:pune