New Delhi, Aug 8 (Petra) – As the final whistle blew at the Yves du Manoir stadium announcing that the Indian hockey team had won the bronze medal, a wave of emotion swept through the families of the winning players.
In living rooms across India, where eyes were glued to screens with anticipation and eagerness, the tension was replaced by a wave of unbridled excitement.
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In Amritsar, Harmanpreet's father Sarabjit Singh said the bronze found in Paris was no less valuable than gold.
“For us it is like a gold medal. It is because of God's grace. All the players are fine and no one is injured, thank God,” Sarabjit told PTI TV.
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Cell phones buzzed with congratulatory messages and calls.
Rajwinder Kaur's joy knew no bounds after her son Harmanpreet scored a brace as India registered an impressive 2-1 win over Spain.
He said: “His performance was extraordinary. It's a proud moment for us. We want to win the gold medal and the boys are working hard to achieve it, but the games are very tough. God has been merciful and we have won the bronze medal.”
India lost the semi-final 3-2 to Germany on Tuesday, much to the country's disappointment. But they are eager to get on the podium in Paris after winning a bronze medal for the second time in a row.
Harmanpreet's brother Komalpreet said: “We are very happy, the whole village is happy. Every second (of the match) was important, but God blessed us and we won. This team deserves a bronze medal.
They distributed 'Motichoor Ladoos' and showed victory signs to all those who gathered to celebrate.
It was veteran goalkeeper BR Sreejesh's last dance and his teammates presented him with the medal.
“We are all very happy that the Indian hockey team has won a bronze medal. The performance shown by the players after the defeat in the last match was really extraordinary.
“The players gave their best till the last minute of the match. We are proud of the entire team, especially PR Sreejesh,” said coach Harmanpreet Yadwinder Singh.
Hockey is a passionate sport in India. Hockey holds a special place in India's sporting history, and any success on the Olympic stage evokes a strong sense of national pride.
In Madhya Pradesh's Narmadapuram district, midfielder Vivek Sagar Prasad's family members took to the streets dancing to the beat of drums.
In Jalandhar, the family of striker Mandeep Singh started dancing to celebrate the end of the tense match. Pride mixed with laughter as the family members hugged each other and their hearts filled with pride.
Mandeep's mother Davenderjit Kaur said: “We are very happy and the whole family is proud of him and the entire team for winning the bronze medal. They have worked hard for this.
“We are proud of them. They have made Punjab and entire India proud,” said Ravindra Singh, Mandeep's father.
He is proud not only of the medal he won, but also of the resilience, dedication and spirit shown by the team.
He added: “It was a solid game and we were nervous until the last seconds, but the team kept their cool and played a good game.”
In Varanasi, the eyes of striker Lalit Upadhyay's mother, Rita, shone with tears of joy and devotion.
Surrounded by neighbors and family, Rita said: “We are very happy. We leave it to God and say: don’t let my children come back empty-handed. Give them a medal or their determination will be broken.”
In Ghazipur, Rajkumar Pal's father called his son as the entire community gathered to catch a glimpse of the bronze medallist.
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