Indian mens hockey team, featuring lone Odisha player Amit Rohidas, won the Olympic bronze medal for the second time in a row, edging out Spain 2-1 in the exciting match for the third/fourth place at the Yves-du-Manoir Stadium in Paris today. Captain Harmanpreet Singh scored both the goals for India, while Spain skipper Marc Miralles sounded the board for his team.
The Indian mens team had bagged the bronze three years ago in Tokyo, pipping Germany 5-4, thus ending a 41-year wait for a medal in Olympc hockey. Odisha defenders Amit Rohidas and Birendra Lakra were member of that Indian team.
The bronze medal win today was a fitting farewell for India goalkeeper P R Sreejesh who played his last international match in Paris. He did a wonderful job unber the bar throughout the Paris Olympics.
Sreejesh formed a rock-solid combination with talismanic skipper Harmanpreet, who emerged the top scorer for the tournament with 10 goals to his name. Craig Fulton, who took over as the chief coach of the Indian team at a critical time (March 2023), also played an important role in the bronze medal achievement.
The Paris bronze was the 13th overall medal for India in the history of Olympic hockey, including eight gold, one silver and four bronze. The 13 medals include eight gold (1928, 1932, 1936, 1948, 1952, 1956, 1964, 1980), one silver (1960) and four bronze (1968, 1972, 2020, 2024). In the ongoing Games, this was the fourth medal (all bronze) for India, following a hat-trick in shooting.
Congratulating Team India for the bronze medal success, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi announced cash awards Rs 4 crore for Amit Rohidas, Rs 15 lakh each for other players and Rs 10 lakh for each of the support staff. Odisha Olympic Association also announced a cash award of Rs 1 lakh for Rohidas.
Earlier, hopes and dreams of winning the hockey gold or silver medal at the Paris Olympics ended in a heart-break for the Indian team as they lost to Germany 2-3 in the second semi-final on August 6.
India played almost three quarters of the match with a man down as defender and first-rusher Amit Rohidas, the lone Odisha player in the team, was shown a red card in the 17th minute for lifting his stick to the face of Will Calnan. But exemplary leadership by drag-flicker Harmanpreet Singh and amazing goalkeeping by stalwart P R Sreejesh helped India clinch the memorable win.
Captain Harmanpreet scored one goal each in regulation time and shootout, while Sreejesh saved two goals in the shootout and many more during the regulation time. In the semifinals on August 6, India will meet either Germany or Argentina.
India reached the quarterfinals by finishing second in Pool-B with 10 points from five matches. They won three, lost one and drew one. In their last league match, India rode on a brace by Harmanpreet to beat Australia 3-2. This was the first win in 52 years for India against Australia in the Olympic Games. Earlier, India beat New Zealand 3-2, drew with Argentina 1-1, beat Ireland 2-0 and lost to Belgium 1-2.
INDIAN MENS HOCKEY TEAM (With Senior International Caps): Goalkeepers: Sreejesh Parattu Raveendran (328). Defenders: Amit Rohidas (184), Harmanpreet Singh (219), Jarmanpreet Singh (106), Sanjay (35). Mid-fielders: Hardik Singh (134), Manpreet Singh (370), Rajkumar Pal (53), Shamsher Singh (95), Sumit (135), Vivek Sagar Prasad (143). Forwards: Abhishek (74), Gurjant Singh (109), Lalit Kumar Upadhyay (168), Mandeep Singh (244), Sukhjeet Singh (70). Alternate Players: Nilakanta Sharma (125), Krishan B Pathak (125), Jugraj Singh (56).
Coaches & Support Staff: Herman Kruis (Director High Performance), Craig Arthur Fulton (Chief Coach), Rhett Kennedy Halkett (Analytical Coach), Shivendra Singh (Coach), Alan Tan (Scientific Advisor), Ranganathan M (Head Physiotherapist), Harshith Mallasandra Lakshman (Video Analyst), Artur Lucas (Video Analyst), Arup Naskar (Masseur), Patrick Upton (Mental Trainer), Dennis Van De Pol (Goalkeeping Expert).
INDIA RESULTS:
27 July 2024 (Group-B League): India (Mandeep Singh 24-PC, Vivek Sagar Prasad 34-FG, Harmanpreet Singh 59-PS) beat New Zealand (Sam Lane 8-PC, Simon Child 53-PC) 3-2.
29 July 2024 (Group-B League): India (Harmanpreet Singh 59-PC) drew with Argentina (Lucas Martinez 22-FG) 1-1.
30 July 2024 (Group-B League): India (Harmanpreet Singh 11-PS, 19-PC) beat Ireland 2-0.
1 August 2024 (Group-B League): India (Abhishek 18-FG) lost to Belgium (Thibeau Stockbroekx 33-FG, John-John Dohmen 44-PC) 1-2.
2 August 2024 (Group-B League): India (Abhishek 12-FG, Harmanpreet Singh 13-PC, 32-PS) beat Australia (Thomas Craig 25-PC, Blake Grovers 55-PS) 3-2.
4 August 2024 (Quarterfinal): India (Harmanpreet Singh 22-PC) drew with Great Britain (Lee Morton 27-FG) 1-1. Shootout: India (Harmanpreet Singh, Sukhjeet Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Raj Kumar Pal) beat Great Britain (James Albery, Zachary Wallace) 4-2.
6 August 2024 (Sefi-final): India (Harmanpreet Singh 7-PC, Sukhjeet Singh 36-PC) lost to Germany (Gonzalo Peillat 23-PC, Christopher Ruehr 27-PS, Marco Miltkau 54-FG) 2-3.
8 August 2024 (Bronze-medal match): India (Harmanpreet Singh 30-PC, 33-PC) beat Spain (Marc Miralles 12-PS) 2-1.