Following their historic bronze medal triumph at the Paris Olympics, the Indian hockey team paid tribute to the legendary Major Dhyan Chand in the national capital on Saturday.
The Indian players arrived at Indira Gandhi International Airport on Saturday morning, where they were congratulated before heading to Major Dhyan Chand Stadium.
Upon arriving at the stadium, the team paid homage to the legendary hockey player.
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India beat Spain 2-1 to win bronze in men’s hockey on Thursday as skipper Harmanpreet Singh scored twice to put his side in front after they fell behind in a tournament where his heroics gave the country most of their wins.
The win gave India’s their second consecutive bronze medal as part of a 13 medal haul for the once dominant side that won gold for six Games in a row from 1928 to 1956.
Greeted by family and throngs of fans, an emotional Harmanpreet Singh said to reporters, “It is heartwarming to see Indian fans come out to receive and congratulate us for the bronze medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics. The team left no stone unturned in preparing for the Olympics, and to see our efforts bear fruit and witness the whole country rejoice in our victory is an inexplicable feeling.”
The Paris 2024 Olympics showcased the Indian men’s hockey team playing scintillating hockey. Notably, they defeated Australia 3-2, marking their first victory against Australia since the Olympics 1972 in Munich 52 years ago. In the quarter-finals, they delivered another exceptional performance against Great Britain, defending with a man down for over 40 minutes to force penalty shootouts, ultimately winning 4-2, thanks to the heroics of PR Sreejesh.
Vice-captain and two-time bronze medallist Hardik Singh, 25, highlighted the camaraderie within the squad, stating, “The trust we had in each other, the unshakeable belief that a teammate would step up if you faltered, is what pushed us to always give our best on the field. I think the match against Great Britain really showcased this. The midfielders had the forwards’ backs, the defenders supported the midfielders, and if all else failed, we had the big man, PR Sreejesh, between the sticks who bailed us out on numerous occasions.”
(With inputs from Reuters)