 "PM Narendra Modi called the Indian hockey team after their bronze medal win at the Paris Olympics on Thursday. PTI")
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday called up the India men’s hockey team after the Harmanpreet Singh and Co clinched bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics with a 2-1 win over Spain.
“Many many congratulations to the team. You have made India proud. You broke the string of losses in the Olympics. I have complete faith that you will bring back the golden age of hockey in India,” Modi said on the call.
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After India’s bronze medal victory, PM Modi took to micro-blogging platform “X” to congratulate the team led by Harmanpreet Singh.
“A feat that will be cherished for generations to come! The Indian Hockey team shines bright at the Olympics, bringing home the Bronze Medal! This is even more special because it is their second consecutive Medal at the Olympics. 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 connect with Hockey and this accomplishment will make the sport even more popular among the youth of our nation,” Modi posted.
This is the India men’s hockey team’s second successive bronze medal after they had won the same medal in Tokyo Olympics by beating Germany 5-4. This also for the first time in 52 years that India have won successive medals in two consecutive Olympics editions.
On Thursday, Spain took a 1-0 lead through Marc Miralles in the second quarter. Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur has been leading from the front throughout the tournament and he did it once again as he scored two goals in a space of just three minutes to give India a 2-1 lead in the 33rd minute.
It was a resilient display from the Indians from then on, who held heir nerves to script the win. This was PR Sreejesh’s final international match for India, with the goalkeeper having announced before the Games that the Olympics would be his last with the national team.