After clinching the bronze medal at the Paris Olympics 2024, the players of the Indian Men’s Hockey Team, including Hardik Singh, Mandeep Singh, Harmanpreet Singh, and Gurjant Singh, returned to their hometown on Sunday. The team had arrived at New Delhi Airport on Saturday morning.
Earlier, on Thursday, a brace from captain Harmanpreet Singh and crucial saves from PR Sreejesh secured a bronze medal for India with a 2-1 victory over Spain at the Yves du Manoir Stadium.
Hardik Singh’s mother, Kamaljeet Kaur, and Mandeep Singh’s father also shared their thoughts on the team’s arrival in Amritsar. “We are feeling very proud. I have no words to describe my feelings… We were supporting the team in Paris as well, and today we have gathered to welcome them,” Kamaljeet Kaur said while speaking to ANI.
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“I am feeling very happy as the team has won the bronze medal in the Olympics… Everyone is waiting to welcome them,” Mandeep Singh’s father said.
Sukhdev Singh’s father, Ajit Singh, expressed that it felt like the team had brought back a gold medal. “They have won and come; it feels like they have won gold. It feels great. As soon as he arrived, my son put his medal around my neck. There can be no greater joy than this. Congratulations to the entire team. May God continue to bless them… Our wish has come true now. They have brought laurels to our country… We are very happy,” Ajit Singh said.
In an electrifying atmosphere, the Indian team triumphed despite being down 0-1 after the first quarter. Sreejesh, playing his last game for India, was filled with emotions as the rest of the team joined him on the ground to celebrate this momentous occasion in India’s hockey history.
India won consecutive bronze hockey medals for the first time in 52 years, since the 1972 Munich Games.
(WITH INPUTS FROM ANI)
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