Hockey wizards strike bronze again

Emotional sendoff for veteran Sreejesh as India win successive hockey bronze after 52 years

- S KANNAN

Harmanpreet Singh netted two goals as the Indian hockey team, on a dream run in Paris 2024, narrowly defeated Spain 2-1 to clinch a brilliant bronze medal at the Summer Olympics.

At the Yves De Manoir Stadium, Indian fans turned out in large numbers to cheer on the most passionate team, which showed Spain just how strong they had been in this campaign.

As the final hooter sounded, all the players fell over goalkeeper PR Sreejesh. This was his last international match for India, and he deserved every moment of the love. Being carried around the stadium was sheer joy as Sreejesh signed off on a high note.

It is hard to believe that this team, which left the shores of India with doubts in mind, created such magic. Match after match, there was a pattern— India peaked. Yes, losing to Germany in the most crucial semi-final did hurt, but today, India held their nerves to beat Spain for a medal.