Paris, Aug 8
The Indian men's hockey team made history on Thursday with a hard-fought come-from-behind win against Spain for the bronze medal in the Paris Olympics. This is India's second successive medal in the Olympics since 1972 and prompted sports luminaries of the country to rise in unison to congratulate the Harmanpreet Singh-led for its 2-1 comeback win at the Yves-du-Manoir Stadium on Thursday.
Legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar was among the first to congratulate the team, praising their resilience and determination. "Bouncing back like true champions! I'm sure it wasn't easy to swallow the semifinal loss, but our team came back strong and clinched the bronze in men's hockey once again at this Olympics. Congratulations on this well-deserved victory, Team India," Tendulkar expressed on social media platform X. India's first individual Olympic gold medalist, shooter Abhinav Bindra, also took to X to commend the team's outstanding performance. "The Indian Men's Hockey Team, with courage etched in every stride, you've brought home a bronze medal that shines with the brilliance of gold. To each of you, who donned the tricolour with pride, thank you for giving us a moment that will echo in our hearts for generations. Congratulations," Bindra wrote, reflecting the emotions of millions of Indians. Adding to the chorus, former Indian cricket team coach Ravi Shastri praised the team's exceptional skill and fitness. "Richly deserved! The quality of hockey displayed by India in this Olympics is something I haven't seen in the last 15-20 years. What truly stood out was their fitness and the speed with which they moved. A team worthy of a Gold Medal," Shastri remarked, underscoring the high level of play exhibited by the Indian team. Former Indian cricketer VVS Laxman hailed the team for its outstanding effort. "Many congratulations to the Indian men's hockey team on securing a second consecutive Olympic Bronze medal. Outstanding effort from our boys," VVS Laxman wrote on X. Former Indian hockey captain Viren Rasquinha said winning consecutive Olympic medals is a huge boost for Indian hockey. "Yessssss!!! 2nd medal for Indian Men's Hockey in consecutive Olympics. Such a huge boost for Hockey in India. My Goddd!! That was heart-stopping at the end. Similar to the India vs Germany match at Tokyo. Hope this inspires a million kids to play hockey. I love hockey," he wrote on X. Two-time Olympic medallist shuttler PV Sindhu wrote, "ICONIC. Congrats to the men in blue for back 2 back medals. What a send-off to the legend @16Sreejesh." Tokyo Olympic Games bronze medallist India were trailing by a goal scored by Marc Miralles off a penalty stroke in the 18th minute before India struck through Harmanpreet Singh twice in the 30th minute and 33rd minute off penalty corners as they fought back brilliantly to win their second successive bronze medal in the Olympics in 52 years. India had last won successive bronze medals in the 1968 and 1972 Games before this. This medal takes India's tally in hockey to 13 in the Olympic Games with eight gold, one silver and four bronze medals adding to the country's stature as the most successful country in field hockey at the Olympics. It was India's fourth medal in the Paris Olympic Games, all bronze medals, adding to the three won in shooting.