Can it be wholly wrong to say that bronze medal value in men’s hockey has enhanced after India’s gold medal? Our men’s hockey team displayed a great game of counter-attacking play that won the bronze medal by ably defeating Germany 5-4 in its last encounter at the Olympics. The men’s hockey team won an Olympic medal after a gap of 41 years. The bronze medals came in the years 1968 and 1972 earlier too.
Glorious was Indian hockey when it struggled to achieve the golden feat in yesteryears. Though the women’s hockey licked defeat at the hands of Argentina by the margin of one solitary goal, they got laurels for reaching that stage. The women’s team fights for the bronze medal against Great Britain ended by a minor margin of one goal.
The humid temperature would have played a tricky part in the defeats of our team. 80% of humidity and the elliptical sunshine remained a big hindrance yet Belgium surpassed the brunt of the heat and humid conditions on the astroturf. We are now satisfied with a bronze medal in hockey. How long will our hockey remain confined to the Bronze Age? The better mix of experienced and young players could not win over the world champions Belgium at Oi Hockey Arena. Commenting on the men’s hockey team Ajit Pal Singh, former captain, called this triumph “nothing short of a miracle. The boys made us proud, I am too emotional, I wanted to see India on the Olympic podium.”