Thank You, Heroes!

Well begun is half done is an adage that doesnrsquot hold true for the Indian menrsquos hockey team Thatrsquos because despite a poor start to their bronze medal match against Germany on Thursday the Indians finished with a brilliant and historic victory at the Oi Hockey Stadium in TokyoPoor startSkipper Manpreet Singh amp Co beat Germany 54 to win Indian hockeyrsquos first Olympic medal in 41 years The start however was a stutter as Germanyrsquos Timur Oruz breached the Indian defence as early as the second minute India chief coach Graham Reid admitted that his boys were caught napping ldquoI guess we were in sleep mode and a bit casual at the start there and paid the price for it The Germans were very pumped right from the start and scored But after that Irsquom glad we switched on for the next three quartersrdquo Reid said during a virtual media interaction from Tokyo on ThursdayChief coach Graham ReidIndia got the equaliser through a stylish reversehit field goal by Simranjit Singh in the 17th minute before Germany struck twice first through Niklas Wellen 24th and then through Benedikt Furk 25th Here is where Indiarsquos resurgence began something coach Reid is very proud of ldquoThe best performance of the day was after being 13 down and after you have lost the semifinal a day earlier most teams would struggle with that mentally but the way we fought back it showed where this group stands We had discussed before the match that if we get into trouble we need to find that next level Thatrsquos what you saw we dug deep played some fast aggressive attacking hockey and it paid off You have to dare to lose to be able to win and thatrsquos what we didrdquo added ReidA Hardik Singh 27th tap in off a penalty corner rebound made it 23 after which Harmanpreet Singh 29th dragflicked home for 33 Rupinderpal Singh 31st then converted a penalty stroke and another fine field goal by Simrajeet 34th completed the tally The Germans could manage just one more goal through ace dragflicker Lukas Windfeder 48th before the Indians held on for a famous win Indian hockey last won an Olympic medal in 1980 a gold at the truncated Moscow GameslsquoWe deserve thisrsquoSkipper Manpreet dedicated this medal to Indiarsquos COVID19 warriors ldquoThis is fantastic Given the effort we put in after being 13 down we deserve this medal We have worked so hard Across the last 15 months it has been very difficult We were in Bangalore at the national camp and did not get any international match practice Some of us also got COVID This medal is for our doctors and frontline health workers who have saved so many lives in Indiardquo said ManpreetThe thrilling seasaw encounter fittingly ended with a save from mercurial goalkeeper PR Sreejesh who parried away a Winfeder dragflick six seconds from the final hooter ldquoWe last won a medal in 1980 Through this medal we have given our youngsters a reason to pick up a hockey stick and dream of playing for the countryrdquo the rsquokeeper aptly summed up the massive achievementIndiarsquos Olympic glory 1928 Amsterdam GOLD 1932 Los Angeles GOLD 1936 Berlin GOLD 1948 London GOLD 1952 Helsinki GOLD 1956 Melbourne GOLD 1960 Rome SILVER 1964 Tokyo BRONZE 1968 Mexico City BRONZE 1972 Munich BRONZE 1980 Moscow GOLD 2021 Tokyo BRONZEHockey fraternity thrilledAjit Pal Singh World Cupwinning captain I am extremely happy for Indian hockey as a whole because at one time people said that hockey is in ICU hockey is dead But now we have witnessed Indian hockeyrsquos resurgenceZafar Iqbal 1980 Moscow Games gold medallist History has been made We have broken the jinx Itrsquos a miracle It is going to have a big impact on the game It will revive the sport in the country Itrsquos a new beginning a new dawnHarendra Singh former India coach The journey has just started It is just an appetiser the main course is yet to come Itrsquos just the beginning many moreto comeDhanraj Pillay former captain I always had the regret that I could not win an Olympic medal I used to wonder whether I would be able to see India at the Olympic podium again in hockey Now with this historic win I have no regretsDilip Tirkey former captain The expectation of every Indian has been fulfilled today The Indian team have proved that they can beat the powerhouses of world hockeyPM Modi speaks to Manpreet coach ReidPrime Minister Narendra Modi had a telephonic conversation with skipper Manpreet Singh and coach Graham Reid after Indian teamrsquos bronze medal win ldquoManpreet ji many many congratulations You and the entire team did a great job The entire nation is dancing in joy for your achievements Your hard work paid dividendsrdquo said Modi He then congratulated Reid