Bhubaneshwar (Odisha) [India]Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Wednesday congratulated the Indian men's hockey team at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar for winning the bronze medal at the Paris Olympics.

At the Paris Olympics, the Indian men's hockey team wrote their name in the history books after winning back-to-back bronze medals at the Olympics for the first time in 52 years.

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Led by Harmanpreet Singh, the Indian men's hockey team won back-to-back bronze medals for the first time in 52 years at the Olympics after a 2-1 win over Spain.

Speaking to reporters, team captain Harmanpreet Singh said that they have always received love from the people of Odisha. The Odisha government is firmly supporting them, he added.

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“I am very happy. Every time we come to Odisha, we get a lot of love. This time, we are getting much more love… There is a very good setup here. The land here is very good and the government is very supportive,” Harmanpreet said.

Earlier, the Odisha government had announced a cash reward of Rs 4 crore to Amit Rohidas. Also, each player of the Indian hockey team will get Rs 15 lacs, while the support staff will get Rs 10 lacs each.

Under coach Craig Fulton, India achieved a historic feat by winning bronze medals at two consecutive Olympics. Harmanpreet Singh's brace (30', 33') was enough to seal the victory. Marc Miralles (18') was the only Spanish goal scorer.

In an exciting atmosphere, the Indian team managed to win even though they were leading 0-1 after the first quarter.

Sreejesh, who was playing his last match for India, was emotional as the rest of the team joined him on the pitch to celebrate this momentous occasion in the history of Indian hockey.

India have won back-to-back bronze medals in hockey for the first time in 52 years, since the 1972 Munich Olympics.

Harmanpreet Singh became the tournament's top scorer, scoring 10 goals in eight matches, moving three goals ahead of Australia's Blake Govers, who scored seven goals.

India is ranked 71st in the Paris Olympics medal table while USA is at the top spot with a total of 126 medals. (ANI)

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