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Following his return to the country after guiding India to a Paris Olympics bronze medal, legendary Indian hockey goalkeeper PR Sreejesh said that the team wants to inspire a generation of future players to play the sport and win medals at the highest level for their nation.
The Harmanpreet Singh-led side secured a historic bronze medal, defeating Spain 2-1, marking their second consecutive Olympic medal, an achievement last accomplished 52 years ago. The match, held at the Yves-du-Manoir Stadium on Thursday, was especially significant as it also served as the farewell game for legendary Indian goalkeeper PR Sreejesh, who played his last international match. Speaking to ANI, Sreejesh said, "It feels good. Getting back-to-back Olympic medals, nothing more better than this. We kept hearing about our country's rich history in this sport and we are now recreating it. We have won two back-to-back medals and given the upcoming generation its role models. There were thousands of people at the airport. This is what we want. People come to celebrate us after we win something and tell their children to play hockey and win medals for India. We want to inspire a new generation and teach them about playing hockey and getting medals in Olympics." On possibility of taking up coaching, Sreejesh said he has not thought about it yet. "I will just go home and spend time with my family. I got a lot of experience and have worked under a lot of coaches. Whatever I have learnt, got to teach it to the young kids and keep the sport secure," he concluded. The Indian team, led by Captain Harmanpreet Singh, delivered a stellar performance, with the skipper himself scoring two crucial goals in the 30th and 33rd minutes. Their victory not only secured the Bronze medal but also solidified India's position as a dominant force in international hockey. Sreejesh was also the star of the match, pulling out some memorable and stunning saves. A veteran of over 300 International caps, three Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games and World Cups, Sreejesh featured in his fourth Olympic Games. Having made his debut at the 2010 World Cup, Sreejesh has been part of various memorable wins for India, which include a gold medal in the 2014 Asian Games, a bronze medal in Jakarta-Palembang, the joint-winning team of the Asian Champions Trophy in 2018, the gold medal-winning team of 2019 FIH Men's Series Finals in Bhubaneswar and the silver medal winning team at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. The 36-year-old goalie was one of the main architects of India's historic Bronze medal win at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. He was instrumental in India's third-place finish at the FIH Hockey Pro League 2021/22. Sreejesh was awarded the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award in 2021 and is only the second sportsperson from India to win the award of World Games Athlete of the Year 2021. He has also won back-to-back FIH Goalkeeper of the Year awards in 2021 and 2022, respectively. (ANI)
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