Bengaluru, 8 July

Two bronze medals in as many Olympics is indeed special, said former Indian hockey skipper and two-time Olympian Jude Felix Sebastian after India beat Spain 2-1 in a bronze medal match at Paris Olympics on Thursday. “It is fantastic for the sport; the boys deserve all the laurels.’’

Indians gave their heart and soul and played one of the best matches of this Olympics on Thursday, Bengaluru resident Sebastian told Salar News. The Dronacharya awardee said he was proud of the team’s performance despite the narrow defeat to Germany in the semi-final.

A big credit should be given to veteran goalkeeper PR Sreejesh for India’s victory in the bronze medal match against Spain at Paris Olympics on Thursday, said the former Indian hockey skipper. “The veteran custodian excelled under the bar in his swansong and made a stunning save in the final quarter to ensure India’s 2-1 victory over Spain,” Sebastian said.   

The former coach of the India junior men’s hockey team said: “I did heave a sigh of relief after skipper Harmanpreet Singh netted the equalizer, seconds before the half-time hooter. It was heartening that the team led by Harmanpreet Singh recovered quickly after the disappointment of missing out on the gold medal by bringing home the bronze medal at the Paris Olympics.’’

The captain of Indian hockey team from 1993 to 1995 lauded the efforts of Singh in converting two penalty corners. “He was simply superb and stuck to his game plan and sealed the victory in India’s favour against the upbeat Spaniards’’. —Salar News