Tokyo, Japan, August 5, 2021: The Indian men’s hockey team ended a 41-year medal drought by winning bronze at the Tokyo Olympics on Thursday, August 5.
The Manpreet Singh-led side defeated Germany 5-4 in the bronze medal playoff at the Oi Hockey Stadium for their first medal in the sport since they took gold at Moscow 1980.
That it took 41 years for deliverance was simply due to the Tokyo Olympics being pushed back by one year. But history beckoned on Thursday as eight-time Olympic gold medallists India came back from a 3-1 deficit to score four unanswered goals and take a 5-3 lead midway through the third quarter.
Despite pulling one back in the final quarter, Germany failed to turn things around with The Rock – Indian talismanic goalkeeper PR Sreejesh – standing firm saving three penalty corners late in the match, including a last-gasp one with seven seconds remaining, to give India a memorable win.
Simranjeet Singh scored two goals for India, along with Hardik Singh, Harmanpreet Singh and Rupinder Pal Singh also adding their names on the scoresheet. Lukas Windfeder, Benedikt Furk, Niklas Wellen and Timur Oruz scored for Germany.
Indians greeted the early-morning triumph with an explosion of emotion and joy on social media. Everyone from the Prime Minister to the man-on-the-street was caught in a frenzy of celebratory messages.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted: “Historic! A day that will be etched in the memory of every Indian. Congratulations to our Men’s Hockey Team for bringing home the Bronze. With this feat, they have captured the imagination of the entire nation, especially our youth. India is proud of our hockey team.”
Rahul Gandhi said: “Congratulation to Indian Men’s Hockey Team. This is a big moment – the whole country is proud of your achievement.”
Former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir described the victory as even more important than any of the three World Cup victories won by India in one-day cricket.
“Forget 1983, 2007 or 2011, this medal in Hockey is bigger than any World Cup?” Gambhir tweeted.
Tennis star Mahesh Bhupati said: “Lion Hearts!! Can’t say enough about the attitude, first coming back, and then holding on. Congrats @TheHockeyIndia on making history. Truly emotional moment for the country.”
India’s Australian coach Graham Reid said the hallmark of this team was their ability to comeback from depths of despair.
Reid said: “It’s been one of the signatures these guys have tried to develop, to always come back. I asked the guys to bring this to the next level, if something happens, to come back. And they did that very well.
He added: “I know that apart from the country, this group has dreamt about a medal for a long time. I know how much it means to India. It’s an honour to be able to do that.”
