Bhubaneswar. Indian hockey team captain Harmanpreet Singh said that despite creating many chances, it was unfortunate to lose to Germany in the semi-finals of the Paris Olympics, but at the same time he termed the performance of winning the second consecutive bronze medal as a big achievement. India won the bronze medal by defeating Spain in Paris and thus repeated the performance of the Tokyo Olympic Games. Earlier, in the semi-finals, it had to face defeat by 2-3 to the current world champion Germany. The Indian team was given a rousing welcome on its arrival here on Wednesday and was honored by the Odisha government.
On this occasion, Harmanpreet told PTI video, “The match against Germany was very close. We created many chances but luck was not with us that day and we missed some opportunities.” He said, “But I think winning the bronze medal was also very important. This was our last match in the tournament and we are feeling very happy after winning the match. Our effort was to fulfill our dream (of winning gold) but somehow luck did not favor us.” Harmanpreet said, “We had a chance to win the bronze medal and we entered the field with the goal of winning. We have won two medals in a row and this is a big achievement.”
The Indian captain was extremely happy with the welcome and respect he received in Odisha. He said, “We are getting love and respect from all sides. Whenever the team comes here, whether it is to play in a tournament or after winning a medal, it always feels good… We get a lot of respect here.” Harmanpreet also thanked the state government for sponsoring hockey. He said, “There are very good facilities for hockey here. There are good stadiums and good grounds here and we have been getting the support of the Odisha government. Organizing such a big tournament and bringing the spectators to the stadium is a big thing. I thank the state on behalf of the team.” The felicitation ceremony was attended by the state’s Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and the players were given a grand welcome.
