Paris Olympics: Tears of joy flow as Indian hockey team wins Bronze

AMRITSAR: The family members of Indian hockey team captain Harmanpreet Singh were overwhelmed with joy and pride as tears of happiness streamed down their faces following the Indian team's victory over Spain in the semi-finals to win the bronze medal for India on Thursday.
Stating that not only his sons but the whole of the Indian hockey team's performance and achievement has filled the family with unparalleled happiness, Sarabjit Singh, father of Harmanpreet Singh said “The last five to ten minutes were adrenaline-pumping, and our hearts raced with the game’s ebb and flow .This momentous achievement has brought unparalleled joy to all of us “.
Counting the blessings of Wahegur, he said with 44 seconds remaining, the team was awarded a penalty corner but the team corrected the mistake made in the previous match and won the bronze medal for the country.
A large number of media persons, relatives , villagers and friends of the family had thronged their house at Timowal village near Amritsar to congratulate them.
Rajwinder Kaur , mother of Harmanpreet Singh said she prayed constantly during the match. “Now, we ,the family ,is overjoyed, overwhelmed with calls from relatives and friends. I am too busy to answer them all but is excited to prepare for a grand welcome to celebrate the team's victory” she said.
Brother, Kamalpreet Singh, expressed immense excitement over the Indian team’s Olympic bronze win.
“Our team played brilliantly and deserved a medal. While we hoped for gold, we’re thrilled with the bronze .he said. He also admitted being both elated and nervous, so much so that he didn’t even have time to drink water while watching Harmanpreet play.
Meanwhile, Sahiljit Singh Sandhu, president of Maharaja Ranjit Singh Hockey Academy, expressed optimism that the Indian hockey team's back to back Olympic victory will enhance the sport’s prominence.
“I am sure that the victory of our team will lead to increased government support and more investments in astroturf facilities. This will nurture budding players who will bring future accolades to the nation”said Sahiljit.
Indian hockey team selector Balwinder Singh Shammi, who competed in the 1988 Seoul Olympics, called this moment a historic milestone for the nation.
“Winning bronze is significant, but this occasion is etched in golden words in history,” he said. He hopes the team’s back-to-back Olympic victories will significantly boost hockey in India and produce more outstanding players. Shammi said that it was matter of pride that four players from Amritsar namely Gurjant Singh , Garmanpreet Sigh, Shamsher Singh and Harmanpreet Singh were part of the Indian hockey contingent.