NEW DELHI, Aug 8: Indian hockey team won the bronze medal in the Paris Olympics finishing on the podium in back-to-back Olympics after 52 years, but he team captain Harmanpreet Singh apologised to the country for not been able to upgrade the colour of the medal from the last Tokyo Olympics.
India made history once again in Olympics as it won a bronze medal at the Paris Game defeating Spain 2-1. After winning a bronze in the last Olympics in Tokyo, India finished on the third spot in Paris too. This is the first time since the 1972 Olympics that India won back-to-back medals at the Olympics. India had won bronze medals at the 1968 and 1972 Olympics.
But captain Harmanpreet apologised to the nation for not being able to win the gold. India had lost to Germany in the semi-finals. “Hockey as a sport has a rich history in India. We want to take forward that legacy. My request to everyone is ‘Please support Hockey more’. And I promise to every Indians we work hard and do better in next Olympics,” Harmanpreet Singh said after the bronze medal win.
“Indian hockey is on the rise and we can beat anyone. I want to say, I am sorry. We wanted to win gold this time after the bronze in Tokyo. We were good enough for gold, but fate was not in our side. You can’t ignore fate.” Skipper Harmanpreet Singh scored a brace of goals as the Indian men’s hockey team fought back from a goal down to prevail 2-1 over Spain in the third-place match and bagged a second successive bronze medal in the Olympic Games here on Thursday, giving seasoned goalkeeper PR Sreejesh a memorable farewell as he bid adieu to the sport.
Sreejesh later refuted reports that he was re-thinking on his retirement plan announced earlier. “It is my final decision to retire after the Paris Olympics,” he said.
Tokyo Olympic Games bronze medallist India were trailing by a goal scored by Marc Miralles scored off a penalty stroke in the second quarter before India scored through Harmanpreet twice in the 29th minute and 33rd minute off penalty corners as India fought back brilliantly to win their second successive bronze medal. This medal takes India’s tally in hockey to 13 in the Olympic Games with eight gold, one silver and four bronze medals adding to the country’s stature as the most successful country in field hockey at the Olympics.
This is India’s fourth medal in the Paris Olympic Games, all bronze medals, adding to the three won in shooting. Advertisement
While Harmanpreet Singh struck the two goals, it was goalkeeper Sreejesh made it possible as he stood like the Rock of Gibraltar and thwarted attempt after attempt from the Spaniards as they went in search of the equaliser. There were a lot of anxious moments for India as Spain earned nine penalty corners in all but could not convert any. India on the other hand earned six penalty corners and converted two of them, India defended bravely in the last 5-6 minutes putting their bodies on the line at times to thwart the Spanish.
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a long congratulatory post for the Indian hockey team and spoke to the players in a phone call. “A feat that will be cherished for generations to come,” Mr Modi said in a post on X. “The Indian Hockey team shine bright at the Olympics, bringing home the Bronze medal. This is even more special because it is their second consecutive medal at the Olympics,” he said.
“Their success is a triumph of skill, perseverance and team spirit. They showed immense grit and resilience. Congratulations to the players. Every Indian has an emotional connection with hockey and this accomplishment will make the sport even more popular among the youth of our nation,” he said.
(Manas Dasgupta)
