Harmanpreet Singh & Co help India win successive hockey bronze after 52 years to gift Sreejesh perfect farewell; goalie insists retirement call is final
Members of the Indian hockey team rush to retiring goalkeeper PR Sreejesh after beating Spain to win the bronze medal yesterday. Pic/Getty Images
The Indian men’s hockey team clinched a second successive bronze medal at the Olympic Games for the first time in 52 years with a come-from-behind 2-1 win over Spain, giving veteran goalkeeper PR Sreejesh a fitting farewell here on Thursday.
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Tense last moments
It was tense last few moments for the Indians as they faced two short corners in the final minute, but the defence stood tall. India, who claimed the bronze at the Tokyo Games after a hiatus of 41 years, lived up to expectations despite not having a perfect build-up to the Games. The last time India won back-to-back Olympic medals was in 1968 (bronze) and 1972 editions (bronze).
The bronze medal was also a desperate wait for the Indian contingent in Paris, which has endured six fourth-place finishes so far, apart from the heartbreaking disqualification of wrestler Vinesh Phogat.
Spain went ahead with skipper Marc Miralles (18th) converting a penalty stroke while India captain Harmanpreet Singh (30th, 33rd) netted a fine brace. Shrugging off their heart-wrenching 2-3 defeat against Germany in the semi-final, India came out all guns blazing to dominate the possession in the first quarter but neither team scored. Spain came with more purpose in the second quarter and took the lead in the 18th minute through a penalty stroke conversion by Miralles after Manpreet Singh conceded a foul inside the D.
Skipper scores brace
India pressed hard and secured their first penalty corner in the 29th minute but could not convert. Just 21 seconds from half-time, Manpreet compensated for his fault by earning India another penalty corner and this time Harmanpreet was bang on target.
“This is a better way to finish an Olympic Games, with a medal,” said veteran Sreejesh, 36, on Thursday, ruling out any possibility of reversing his decision to retire from international hockey after this game.
“We’re not going home empty-handed, that’s a great thing. I respect the sentiments of people [who may have wanted him to continue], but some decisions are hard. Also, taking a decision at right time makes the situation more beautiful, so, my decision stays,” added Sreejesh, who played more than 300 matches for India.
“Indian hockey is on the rise. We are showing that we can beat any team. We are so proud that we played as a team. This [bronze] is a big thing for the whole country and a big thing for us too,” said skipper Harmanpreet, who scored 10 goals during the course of the mega event.
India men’s hockey medals at Olympics
. Amsterdam 1928: Gold
. Los Angeles 1932: Gold
. Berlin 1936: Gold
. London 1948: Gold
. Helsinki 1952: Gold
. Melbourne 1956: Gold
. Rome 1960: Silver
. Tokyo 1964: Gold
. Mexico City 1968: Bronze
. Munich 1972: Bronze
. Moscow 1980: Gold
. Tokyo 2020: Bronze
. Paris 2024: Bronze
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