Paris Olympics 2024: PR Sreejesh's face after defeat to Germany showed how much he wanted a gold in last outing
Legendary Indian hockey star PR Sreejesh, arguably the best goalkeeper India has produced, will retire without an Olympic gold around his neck. Sreejesh, who had announced that his final international appearance would be at the Paris Olympics, wanted to go out on a high, but the dream was crushed on Tuesday after India lost to Germany 2-3.
'It is heartbreaking'
The disappointment was clearly visible on the face of the 36-year-old former captain. Also known as "The Wall of Indian Hockey," Sreejesh broke down after the match ended.
"It's a heartbreaking loss for us. We had the chance to win gold, but now, we have to forget this semifinal and focus on the bronze medal match," Sreejesh said after the match.
Also read:?PR Sreejesh: How A Small Village Boy From Kerala Went On To Become A Great 'Wall' Of Indian Hockey
'It is not about me, but the country'
Sreejesh said the key now will be to quickly regroup, take the defeat in their stride, and strive to win the bronze against Spain on Thursday.
"It's a medal match, and it's not about me; it's about the country. It's about those 19 players here, all the staff. And I think we all get a last opportunity to play, to get a medal for our country rather than worrying about what happened today."
"These 19 players should play like this is our last opportunity as players to get a medal for our country."
India will now take on Spain in the bronze medal match, while Germany will be up against the Netherlands in the final.
Also read:?Neeraj Chopra, Ravi Kumar, Lovlina Borgohain, PR Sreejesh Among Athletes Conferred Khel Ratna
'Better to go home with bronze than empty-handed'
Indian hockey team skipper Harmanpreet Singh, who also could not hide his disappointment in missing out on a chance to win the Olympic gold, said a bronze will be at least better than returning home empty-handed.
"This is extremely disappointing as we came here to win a gold medal. But, having said that, it's better to go home with bronze than nothing," Harmanpreet said.
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