India’s youngest Olympic medalist Aman Sehrawat, shooters Manu Bhaker, Sarabjot Singh, Swapnil Kusale and members of the Indian men’s hockey team were present on the occasion. Prime Minister Modi shook hands with the players and also posed for photographs with them on the occasion.
While talking to the players, PM Modi said, “First of all, remove this thought from your mind that you have returned to India after losing the Olympics. You have returned with the country’s flag flying high. You have also gained some valuable experience and sports is such a field, my friends, where no one ever truly loses, everyone learns.”
The Prime Minister asked the players about their experiences off the field and encouraged them to share what they learnt and met in sports. “The world has seen what you did on the field. Now, tell me what you did off the field. You must have made friends with sportspersons from across the world and learnt a lot,” he said. “You must have thought how good it would be if something like this happened in our country too,” he said.
The bronze medal-winning Indian men’s hockey team in Tokyo defeated Spain 2-1 in the bronze medal playoff to secure two consecutive Olympic podium finishes for the first time in 52 years. The win marked India’s record 13th Olympic hockey medal.
The athletes had to deal with the scorching heat and lack of cooling in their rooms at the Paris Olympic Games Village. Commenting on the players’ disappointment, Prime Minister Modi said, “You got the AC, right? You might be saying in anger that Modiji makes big claims but has left us in this condition. When I came to know about the conditions, I got ACs installed within half an hour.” To make the players’ stay comfortable, the country’s Sports Ministry had provided 40 portable air conditioners.
PM Modi asked hockey goalkeeper PR Sreejesh when he decided to retire. He said, “I was thinking about it for a few years. My team members used to tease me,”when will you go‘ (When will you go!),” Sreejesh laughed.
“I have been playing for 20 years and wanted to retire after achieving something. The Olympics is a platform that all athletes in the world celebrate and I felt I couldn’t get a better opportunity than this. When we lost the semifinal, the team got together and said we have to win this bronze medal for Sreejesh. Brother“I used that platform to say goodbye not only to my career but also to my team,” he said.
Prime Minister Modi responded, “Your team will surely miss you, but they also ensured a wonderful farewell for you.”
As a mark of appreciation, Sreejesh, captain Harmanpreet Singh and others presented the Prime Minister with an Indian jersey and a hockey stick.
Ace badminton player Lakshya Sen shared with Prime Minister Modi details of his training with coach Prakash Padukone and the strict discipline he followed to maintain his focus during the Olympics.
The shuttler said, “During the Olympic matches, Prakash sir took away my phone and said that you will not get it till the end of the tournament. A lot of people supported me throughout the journey. My experience of running in Paris was very good. It was a bit sad because I came very close to winning a medal but could not. I will try to do better in the future.”
A total of 117 Indian athletes participated in 16 sports paris olympicsIndia won one silver and five bronze medals in several sports including archery, athletics, badminton, boxing, equestrian, golf, hockey, judo, rowing, sailing, shooting, swimming, wrestling, table tennis and tennis. They just missed their best ever haul of seven medals at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
“When we sit in the back seat of a car and we know how to drive, we press our feet even if the driver presses the brakes. Similarly, when athletes compete in the Olympics, the spectators show their restlessness,” Prime Minister Modi said in an interaction.
Manu Bhaker created history by becoming the first Indian woman to win a medal in shooting at the Olympics and the first Indian woman to win multiple medals in a single edition in the post-independence era. She and her partner Sarabjot Singh became the first Indian shooting pair to win Olympic medals together, taking India’s medal tally in shooting to six.
Swapnil Kusale won the bronze medal in the men’s 50m rifle 3 positions and became the third Indian shooter to win a medal at the Paris Olympics. Kusale’s medal set a new record for India’s highest medal haul in a single sport at the Olympics and was the country’s first medal in the 50m rifle 3 positions event.
Neeraj Chopra won the silver medal in javelin throw by throwing a distance of 89.45 meters, while Arshad Nadeem set a new Olympic record by throwing a distance of 92.97 meters. Chopra’s silver medal is India’s second medal in athletics at the Summer Games, both medals he has earned. With the gold medal at the Tokyo 2020 Games, Neeraj became India’s third two-time Olympic medalist. Sushil Kumar and PV Sindhu are the other Indian athletes to have won two consecutive Olympic medals.
