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

Bengaluru, August 5: Decades of frustration has been washed away on Thursday (August 5) when India won the bronze medal in men's hockey beating Germany 5-4 in the Tokyo Olympics. The last time India stood on the podium was in 1980 Moscow Olympics after winning the gold, their eighth.

Since then, the Indian hockey went on a downward journey, never even managing a last four entry. A generation of fans had to live on the tales of glory written by Dhyan Chand, Balbir Singh Sr, Ashok Kumar etc. It was not that India did not have players who could have brought them a medal, and in fact they had some exceptional ones in Mohammed Shahid, Dhanraj Pillai, Mukesh Kumar, Pargat Singh etc.

But for a variety of reasons, they stumbled. Finally, it took Manpreet Singh & Co. to erase the freezing memories of scuttled campaigns of the past. Vasudevan Bhaskaran, now 70 and the player led India to gold in 1980, could not hide his joy either. After all, he has seen India winning another Olympics medal.

"It is a wonderful occasion. It's been long since we have won an Olympics medal. I have been waiting for this occasion all these years. Congratulations to all the players, coaching staff to make this possible. It is a monumental occasion not just for me but for the whole country," Bhaskaran told MyKhel.

So, will this win usher in a new era for Indian hockey?

"Of course, I do think so. It is true that hockey lived on past glory in India for far too long. The sport needed this boost. Now, I hope a lot of youngsters will take up the sport, a lot more people will come forward to support the sport. I am sure we will see a new era starting for Indian hockey. Everyone now will believe India can achieve bigger things international hockey. Hopefully, the Asian hockey too will be revived," said Bhaskaran.

"But I hope we will not rest on this laurel as there is a lot more to achieve for us in world hockey. We need to dream of gold medal in Olympics, World Championship title, and this bronze should be the stepping stone to bigger achievements. I am sure this bunch (of players) can achieve all that," he added.

Later, India Prime Minister Narendra Modi too congratulated the hockey team for winning the bronze medal.

The Indian men's hockey team rewrote history as it claimed an Olympic medal after 41 years, beating a plucky Germany 5-4 to claim the bronze in an edge-of-the-seat play-off match of the ongoing Game.

Modi tweeted, "Historic! A day that will be etched in the memory of every Indian. Congratulations to our Men's Hockey Team for bringing home the Bronze. With this feat, they have captured the imagination of the entire nation, especially our youth. India is proud of our Hockey team."

Several other political leaders like Rahul Gandhi, former India opener and now a BJP MP from Delhi, Gautam Gambhir, too have come forward to laud the men's hockey team for the feat.