“India is proud of our Hockey Team.”
The Indian men’s hockey team have secured an Olympic medal for the first time in 41 years.
The team created history after claiming the bronze medal at Tokyo 2020, following a 5-4 victory over Germany.
The match took place on Thursday, August 5, 2021.
The men’s bronze medal marks India’s first Olympic hockey medal since the Moscow Games in 1980.
Following Germany’s early lead in the first quarter, India quickly equalised leaving the score level at halftime.
India then pushed out in front to secure a 5-3 lead and, despite Germany securing another goal, they maintained their position all the way to a place on the podium.
Rupinder Pal Singh and Simranjeet Singh were just two of India’s multiple goal-scorers against Germany.
Many took to social media to congratulate the men’s hockey team on their achievement, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
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. ?
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 5, 2021
Taking to Twitter, Modi said:
“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.”
The Indian men’s captain Manpreet Singh, who was also one of India’s flagbearers at the Opening Ceremony, thanked the PM for his continuous support.
The men’s hockey coach Graham Reid also expressed his pride on Twitter.
Pretty proud of these legends! pic.twitter.com/Kms2gcuvJp
— Graham Reid (@reidgj) August 5, 2021
Sharing a selfie of himself and his team, he wrote: “Pretty proud of these legends!”
The men’s hockey team has had a successful 2020 Olympics, with just one loss to Australia in the group stage.
Despite losing out to Belgium in the semi-finals, Manpreet Singh’s squad came out organised and strong for every single game.
The Indian men’s bronze medal is the country’s 12th Olympic hockey medal since the Games began.
As a result, India is now the most successful team in men’s hockey at the Olympics.
They are closely followed by Germany, which has won 11 hockey medals in total.
Both the men’s and women’s hockey teams have fared well at Tokyo 2020, with the Indian women’s team reaching the semi-final stage for the first time ever.
Despite their strong defence, the women lost to Argentina by just one goal.
PM Modi congratulated both the men’s and women’s hockey teams on their achievements throughout the 2020 Olympics.
Just prior to the women’s semi-final match, he said:
“One of the things we will remember #Tokyo2020 for is the stupendous performance by our Hockey teams.
“Today and through the Games, our Women’s Hockey team played with grit and showcased great skill. Proud of the team.
“Best of luck for the game ahead and for future endeavours.”
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