'Winning consecutive Olympic medals in Hockey is a big thing': Harmanpreet

India's men's hockey team captain, Harmanpreet Singh, expressed his regret over the team's narrow loss to Germany in the Paris Olympics semifinals but took pride in the consecutive bronze medals they secured.

Despite creating several chances in the closely contested semifinal, India fell short, losing 2-3 to the reigning world champions.

However, the team bounced back to defeat Spain in the bronze medal match repeating their Tokyo 2021 success and marking the first time in 52 years that India has won back-to-back Olympic bronze medals.

Harmanpreet Singh, along with his teammates, attended a felicitation ceremony conducted by the Odisha government and spoke on the sidelines of the event to PTI Videos about the semifinal match against Germany.

“It was a very close match. I think we created a lot of chances but you can say we were not lucky that day and some chances were off target," said Harmanpreet.

He emphasized the significance of the bronze medal, highlighting the team's determination to finish strong after the semifinal setback.

“But I think the bronze medal was very important. It was the last match of the tournament and I felt very happy after winning the match. Our effort was that we should fulfill our dream of winning gold but somehow we were unlucky," he said.

He continued, "But, still, we had the bronze medal to play for. So, we went into the match with that mindset that we will win. We've won back-to-back medals in hockey; it's a very big thing for us," he added.

Harmanpreet also expressed gratitude for the warm reception the team received in Odisha,

“Whenever the team comes here, be it to play in a tournament or after winning a medal, it always feels nice, we get a lot of respect," said Harmanpreet.

Harmanpreet also thanked the Odisha government for its continued sponsorship of hockey, praising the state's top-notch facilities and successful hosting of major tournaments.

"Odisha has one of the best facilities in India; good stadia, good grounds and we were getting so much support from the Odisha government. To organise such a major tournament and get the crowds to the stadiums is a big thing and I on behalf of the team want to thank the state," he said.

The felicitation ceremony was attended by Odisha State Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, and the players were given a grand welcome.