On this day in 2021: India end 41-year drought to win hockey Olympic medal

India added 13th Olympic medal to its hockey tally with back-to-back bronze in Tokyo and Paris

It’s August 5, a date etched in the heart of every Indian sports fan. On this day in 2021, something magical happened that generations had waited for. After 41 long years, the Indian men’s hockey team stood on the Olympic podium once again.

At the Tokyo Olympics, India defeated Germany 5–4 in a heart-stopping bronze medal match to win their first Olympic hockey medal since 1980.

Under head coach Graham Reid and led by captain Manpreet Singh, the men in blue kicked off their campaign with a solid 3-2 win over New Zealand. But hopes took a massive hit in their next game as a crushing 1-7 defeat to Australia left India stunned.

Also Read: Top 10 Indian hockey players with most medals at Olympics

But India bounced back with a clean-sheet 3-0 win against Spain, and the belief returned. The next match proved it—a stunning 3-1 win over defending Olympic champions Argentina. It was clear now; team India were chasing something bigger.

They wrapped up the group stage by defeating Japan 5–3, finishing second in Pool A and booking a spot in the quarter-finals.

In the quarters, India faced Great Britain. The high-stakes clash ended in a strong 3–1 win for the men in blue. But their dream run hit a wall in the semis against Belgium, the Rio 2016 silver medallists, as India lost 2-5.

Still, the story wasn’t over. One last chance at a medal remained in the bronze medal match against Germany. The pressure was huge. The Germans surged ahead early on, and at one point, India trailed 1–3. It felt like the dream might slip away again.

But perhaps the eight-time Olympic gold medallist India had waited too long to go down quietly. India roared back to level the score and then lead. The final whistle blew when India had scored 5, while Germany was at 4. With that win, the bronze medal was secured.

Four years later, in Paris 2024, the story continued — India won back-to-back Olympic bronze medals in men’s hockey.

Also Read: Hockey at Olympics: Full list of medal winners

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