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Tokyo 2020: Hockey: It's a proud and emotional moment for us: Harmanpreet Singh after bronze medal win

August 5th will be etched in Indian hockey fans' memories forever as the Indian men's hockey team scripted a fantastic comeback against Germany to win the Bronze Medal at the Tokyo Olympics

Tokyo 2020: Hockey: Its a proud and emotional moment for us: Harmanpreet Singh after bronze medal win

Tokyo, Aug 5: August 5th will be etched in Indian hockey fans' memories forever as the Indian men's hockey team scripted a fantastic comeback against Germany to win the Bronze Medal at the Tokyo Olympics here on Thursday.

Tokyo Olympics: India win hockey medal after 41 years, beat Germany 5-4 for bronzeTokyo Olympics: India win hockey medal after 41 years, beat Germany 5-4 for bronze

The Indian team was trailing 1-3 in the 25th minute, however, Hardik Singh (27'), Harmanpreet Singh (29'), Rupinder Pal Singh (31') and Simranjeet Singh (34') found the back of the net in quick succession to help their team take a lead at 5-3 in the 34th minute. The Germans found a breakthrough in the 48th minute, however, they couldn't equalize the score as the Indian Team went on to make history at the Oi Hockey Stadium.

Speaking about the historic feat during a virtual media conference, Indian men's hockey defender and vice-captain Harmanpreet Singh said, "It was a proud moment for us when we won the Bronze Medal. It was an emotional moment as well because India has won an Olympic Medal in hockey after a long time. It's a big thing to win an Olympic Medal and we have made a lot of sacrifices. We were in Bengaluru for one and a half years and there was lockdown. We focussed on staying strong mentally. We stayed as a family together in Bengaluru and I think that helped us a lot in the Olympics. The entire team has put in a very good effort and that's why we have won a Medal."

When asked about what was discussed within the team when the score was 3-3 at half-time, the defender said, "Today, at half-time we spoke about owning the moment and making sure that we don't have any regrets after the match. We also spoke about our processes and playing our own game. We didn't want to think about whether we were losing or not and we spoke about believing in ourselves, believing in our hard work and looked to play simple hockey."

Indian Men's Hockey Chief Coach Graham Reid praised the team's fightback in the Bronze Medal match, "It was a fantastic performance by the team today, apart from the first 7-8 minutes. The Germans were very pumped from the very first whistle today and we paid the price early. The team made a great fightback today. One of the pleasing performances of the day was that we were 3-1 down after having lost the Semi-Final and most teams would struggle with that situation a little mentally and I think the team's comeback showed you where the group was today. Getting up to 5-3 from 1-3 was a wonderful performance today."

Indian men's hockey team forward Simranjeet Singh, who found the back of the net twice against Germany, said that the goals belong to the entire team's effort.

Tokyo Olympics: India's hockey bronze medal is a stepping stone for bigger achievements: BhaskaranTokyo Olympics: India's hockey bronze medal is a stepping stone for bigger achievements: Bhaskaran

"I tried to give my best in all the matches that I played in this Olympics. There are 11 players on the field and the goal can go to any one of us. Every player makes a contribution to every goal that we score. I just executed the finishing touches today. The goals belong to the entire team's effort," said the forward.

Story first published: Thursday, August 5, 2021, 17:51 [IST]
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