Tokyo Olympics: India men hockey coach Graham Reid proud to be a part of history following bronze medal win

India continues to celebrate its bronze medal win in men's hockey at the Tokyo Olympics, while head coach Graham Reid has expressed his delight at being a part of the history-making moment.

Team Newsable

Tokyo, First Published Aug 5, 2021, 2:03 PM IST

India finally scripted history in men's hockey at the Tokyo Olympics, as it ended a four-decade-long wait with winning a medal. On Thursday, it beat Germany 4-3 to win the bronze medal, its first Olympic medal in 41 years.

While immense credit is being given to the players, Australian head coach Graham Reid also deserves enough credit. Since taking over the role in 2019, he had been vocal about investing in youths, as he has been able to get a result out of it.

"It is a fantastic feeling. It has come after a lot of sacrifices that the whole group has made. It takes a long time to get where these athletes have gotten. All the sacrifices that go unseen. I know that this group has been waiting for a medal for a fairly long time apart from the country, and I know how much hockey means to India. I am privileged to help play a part in that," he said, following the bronze medal win during a media interaction.

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He also heaped praise on the Sports Authority of India and the Sports Ministry, lauding their efforts. "The funding is there. It is just a matter of keeping these things going. I told them we could change the future, and we did that today," he added.

Also, Reid was all-praise for veteran goalkeeper PR Sreejesh, who was rock solid as a wall in most games. "Having someone like Sreejesh in the goal is nice, glad that we didn't have to go into a shootout. He is a stalwart of Indian hockey. He has done a lot of work in the background to get to where he is," he concluded.

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Last Updated Aug 5, 2021, 2:03 PM IST