Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday hosted Indian athletes who participated in the Paris Olympics at his residence, celebrating their remarkable achievements and contributions.
During the interaction, the Indian men’s hockey team presented PM Modi with a signed jersey and a hockey stick.
“It is an honor to have you all here,” PM Modi said while addressing the athletes. He praised PR Sreejesh, the goalkeeper of the Indian men’s hockey team, for his outstanding performance.
“PR Sreejesh proved why he is known as ‘The Wall’. Everyone who won a medal, and even those who missed by a point, have shown that their journey will not end until they win a gold,” PM Modi said.
Shooter Manu Bhaker, who made history by becoming the first Indian to win two medals in a single edition of the Olympics, shared her experience of receiving encouragement from the Prime Minister.
“I felt great when I received a call from PM Sir after winning the medal. He has encouraged me a lot,” Bhaker said.
Badminton player Lakshya Sen attributed his success to the guidance and training under legendary coach Prakash Padukone.
Sreejesh spoke about his journey and his plans for retirement. “I have been thinking of retiring for the last few years. I joined the camp in 2002 and played my first international match in 2004 at junior level. After representing the country for 20 years, I felt the Olympics was the right platform to conclude my career. It was hard for us as we lost the semifinal. Our team went to Paris and we thought that we would compete for the gold medal. Ahead of the bronze medal match, every player said that we have to play for Sree bhai,” Sreejesh said.
Led by Harmanpreet Singh, the Indian men’s hockey team won back-to-back bronze medals at the Olympics, marking the first time in 52 years that India secured consecutive medals in hockey, following their 2-1 victory over Spain.
India concluded its Paris Olympics campaign with six medals, including five bronze and one silver.
(With ANI input)