Paris: The Indian hockey team captain Harmanpreet Singh dedicated the Paris Olympics bronze medal to retiring goalkeeper PR Sreejesh and the country. India defeated Spain 2-1 to win a second consecutive bronze medal in the Olympics for the first time since 1972.
It was Sreejesh’s final match for India and he left no stone unturned to make it a memorable one for the country. Reflecting on his career, Harmanpreet, who scored both goals for India against Spain, said Sreejesh’s journey is incredible and they’re happy to win it for him.
“Our team has some boys whose age is the same as the years (Sreejesh) has spent playing hockey. He’s been with us for a long time and he’s given us some very proud moments with his defense. This was his last match and it was an emotional moment for the team. Since we’ve got here, we’ve been talking about dedicating this tournament to Sreejesh because his journey is incredible. Playing this long for India is amazing. We’re so happy to have won the bronze medal for the country and for him,” Harmanpreet said on JioCinema after the match.
Harmanpreet, who scored 10 goals for India in the Olympics, also mentioned what this medal win means to the entire nation.
“I think this is a big moment for the entire country, and for us as well. The Olympics are a stage where you have to wait for a long time to get here. You have to face a lot of challenges because it isn’t easy as a hockey player. It’s not easy for the viewers either. Our mentality and mindset when we come into the ground is to win. Many times, the result isn’t in our favour, but I think this was our destiny.
Our dream was to win the gold and people believed in us. I want to apologize for falling short by such fine margins, but this medal means everything to us. Back-to-back medals, this is hockey history and a big deal for India to have won this back-to-back.”
Echoing the captain’s sentiments, defender Manpreet Singh said, “We want to dedicate this medal to PR Sreejesh because this was his last ride. I’ve spent 13 years with him, we’ve both seen a lot. This Bronze medal is dedicated to PR Sreejesh from the whole team. It feels great to have secured another Bronze. We wanted to win the final but we unfortunately lost in the semis, but the team performed really well throughout the Olympics. We’re not going empty-handed, we’re taking the Bronze back. We want to thank India for their support, it was phenomenal. Thank you so much.”
Manpreet was the captain of the Indian team that won the bronze medal in Tokyo, ending a four-decade drought for a medal at the Olympics
Tokyo Olympic Games bronze medallist India were trailing by a goal scored by Marc Miralles off a penalty stroke in the 18th minute before they scored through Harmanpreet twice in the 30th minute and 33rd minute off penalty corners as they fought back brilliantly to win their second successive bronze medal in the Olympics in 52 years.
India had last won successive bronze medals in the 1968 and 1972 Games before this. 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.
–IANS