India defeats Germany to win bronze in men’s hockey

Wrestler Ravi Kumar Dahiya wins silver in 57 kg division

August 06, 2021 02:36 am | Updated 03:18 am IST - Chennai

Ecstasy and agony: India’s skipper Manpreet Singh celebrates as a German player lies on the ground after their bronze medal match in Tokyo on Thursday. India pipped Germany 5-4.

Ecstasy and agony: India’s skipper Manpreet Singh celebrates as a German player lies on the ground after their bronze medal match in Tokyo on Thursday. India pipped Germany 5-4.

A more than four-decade-long wait finally bore fruition. India last won an Olympic hockey medal — a gold — at the 1980 Games in Moscow and after 41 years of fading hope and enduring angst, Manpreet Singh’s men turned a corner. On a pulsating Thursday in the Tokyo Games, India edged past Germany 5-4 to secure bronze through the third-place play-off.

It was a moment equally invested with the frenzied thrills of the present and the warm tug of nostalgia. Hockey, India’s national game, was once a sure-fire Olympic medal prospect and it showed in the trophy cabinet that has eight golds and one silver, besides three bronzes, including the latest addition.

Trailing 1-3

India found its goalscorers in Rupinder Pal Singh, Hardik Singh, Harmanpreet Singh and Simranjeet Singh, with the last-named striking twice. Yet at one point, India was trailing 1-3 before finding a second wind and surging ahead. Germany was relentless but India did not budge and in goalkeeper P.R. Sreejesh, it had an indomitable wall that thwarted most rival advances. The way the team played also reflected the hard yards and strategy that coach Graham Reid infused into his wards.

If hockey offered unbridled joy, there was a silver to be savoured too as wrestler Ravi Kumar Dahiya emerged second-best to Russian Zaur Uguev in the freestyle 57 kg final bout.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.