The national side defeated Germany 5-4 in the Tokyo Olympics bronze medal match on 05 August to end a 41-year Olympic medal drought.
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Indian men’s hockey team forward Shamsher Singh has opened up about being part of India’s bronze medal-winning campaign at the Tokyo Olympics. Shamsher feels that he is very fortunate to have had the chance of playing in the biggest sporting event during the nascent stage of his career. The national side defeated Germany 5-4 in the Tokyo Olympics bronze medal match on 05 August to end a 41-year Olympic medal drought.
“The Tokyo Olympics is always going to hold a special place in my heart. I am so lucky to be part of an Olympic Bronze Medal-winning team at such an early stage of my career. I also know that this is just the beginning for us as a team. We have the belief that we can do even better in the future and we are going to work towards our goals in the upcoming years,” said the forward, who scored a goal against Japan in the Tokyo Games, as per a Hockey India release.
When asked about the one thing that helped the Indian team to make history in Tokyo, Shamsher said, “I think it was our never-die attitude on the field. Even when we were behind in the game against Germany, we never stopped believing in our chances and kept looking to create goal-scoring opportunities. We knew that if we kept putting pressure on the opposition, we will be on the winning side in the end and that’s what eventually happened.”
The 24-year-old added that the Indian team will work extremely hard to be the best side in the world one day. “We still have a lot of targets to achieve as a team. We have ticked off the target of winning an Olympic Medal, but we have been striving to be the best side in the world in the last few years. We are going to give everything we have in every match we play in the future, especially in big tournaments such as the FIH Hockey Pro League. We are confident that if we keep improving match by match, then one day we will surely be the World Number 1 team,” signed off Shamsher.
Goalkeeper PR Sreejesh was one of the stars of the recently concluded Olympics for the nation, making some vital saves during the course of the Games. His impressive contribution for the team has not gone unnoticed. He has been nominated for the FIH Men’s Goalkeeper of the Year 2020-21.
Speaking about the nomination, Sreejesh, according to a Hockey India release, recently said, “It feels amazing when your efforts and hard work is recognized. It’s a huge honour for me to be nominated for the award. This nomination is not only for my own performance, but the team’s performance as a whole in the last one year. We have played some excellent hockey and I would like to thank my teammates for their support throughout my career.”
