The 29-year-old from Jalandhar was "speechless" following the 5-4 victory over Germany that gave India their 12th hockey medal in the Olympics.
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After winning the bronze medal against Germany at the Tokyo Olympics, Indian men’s hockey team captain, Manpreet Singh dedicated the win to frontline workers. He dedicated the victory to the workers who have worked tirelessly to save lives during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 29-year-old from Jalandhar was “speechless” following the 5-4 victory over Germany that gave India their 12th hockey medal in the Olympics. This one was more special considering it came after a wait of four decades.
The last time India stood on the podium was at the 1980 Moscow Games where they won gold. The country has eight gold medals in all the Games.
“I don’t know what to say right now, it was fantastic. The effort, the game, we were 3-1 down. I think we deserve this medal. We have worked so hard, the last 15 months were difficult for us also, we were in Bangalore and some of us got COVID also,” Manpreet recalled.
“We would like to dedicate this medal to doctors and frontline health workers who have saved so many lives in India,” he said.
A relentless Germany tested every bit of the resolve that the Indian hockey team had and Manpreet acknowledged the grit of the opposition.
“It was difficult, they got a penalty corner in the last six seconds. We thought we have got to save it with our lives. It is really hard. I am speechless right now,” said the skipper, who seemed overcome by emotion.
“We had a long gap when we didn’t get a medal. Now we will get more confidence, yes we can do it. If we can finish on podium in Olympics, we can finish on podium anywhere,” he added.
The Indian men’s hockey team’s Australian coach Graham Reid said he feels “privileged” to be a part of India’s bronze medal after 41 years by beating Germany in the bronze play-off here.
The 57-year-old took over as India coach in 2019. He has always been very enthusiastic about investing in youth to get the results at a big stage like the Tokyo Olympics.
“It is a fantastic feeling. It has come after a lot of sacrifices that the whole group has made,” Reid said referring to the time the players spent away from their families .
“This takes a long time to get where these athletes have gotten. All the sacrifices that go unseen.” He added with skipper Manpreet Singh sitting by his side after the 5-4 triumph over Germany here.
“…I know that apart from the country, this group has been waiting for a medal for a fairly long time and I know how much hockey means to India and I am privileged to help play a part in that.”
India was 1-3 down in the match and Reid said one of the things that worked for the team was his hope of a comeback.
“Before the game I asked the guys to make sure they bring the next level if something happens, for example, if you are down, you need to bring the next level of play and they did that very well,” Reid explained.
