New Delhi: India ended its 41 year wait after the Men’s Hockey team sealed a victory of 5-4 against Germany on Thursday. Beating the four time champions, men in blue sought their way to the bronze.
Simranjeet Singh scored two field goals while Harmanpreet Singh scored twice from penalty corners. India went 3-1 down and then came back to level 3-3, all in the second quarter. Rupinder Pal Singh gave the team a push after he converted a penalty stroke where India took the lead following which Simranjeet scored their fifth.
Earlier in 1972, Munich Olympics, Indian Men’s Hockey Team had taken a victorious reign when it added bronze last to its kitty. Indian men once ruled the Olympic Hockey tournament, winning six successive gold’s from 1928 to 1956. When they claimed the top prize for an eighth time at the 1980 Moscow Games, no one could have guessed that they would have been left in Olympic wilderness for the next four decades.
Meanwhile, Wrestler Anshu Malik lost her repechage round 2 at the women’s freestyle 57kg category to ROC’s Valeria Koblova. Also, Vinesh Phogat lost a highly tactile battle against Sofia Mattsson in the wrestling freestyle 53kg quarters, losing gold. However, she could still fight for Bronze. All Indian wrestling fans, keep an eye on Vanesa Kaladzinskaya next bout. The Belarusian has to win her semi-final bout if Vinesh is to progress to the repechage rounds.