No better way to say goodbye to the game you love, says PR Sreejesh after his Olympic swansong
The bronze medal win at the Paris 2024 Olympics was an emotional affair for the Indian men’s hockey team.
Besides the highs of winning an Olympic medal, the victory also allowed Harmanpreet Singh and Co. to bid a fitting farewell to a dear team-mate and living legend PR Sreejesh, who played his last international hockey match on the day.
PR Sreejesh, who played a vital part in helping India win bronze at Tokyo 2020 to end an excruciating 41-year-long wait for a hockey medal at the Olympics, also took on an equally important role in the team’s podium finish at Paris 2024.
The 36-year-old Sreejesh was the hero behind a 10-man India’s shootout victory over Great Britain in the quarter-finals. The veteran custodian also made some crucial saves in the medal contest against Spain.
Sreejesh, who made his India debut in 2006 and served the national team with distinction for almost two decades, said the Olympic medal win was the perfect way to cap off his career in India’s blue shirt.
Here’s an excerpt of Sreejesh’s post-match interview.
On having any regrets about retiring.
PR Sreejesh: Yes, there are loads, but I think when you have two Olympic medals around your neck, there is no space for regrets. People always say to me that I miss my family time. But today, my two kids are sitting at home cheering for me, and they are realising what I have done. They know that their dad is doing something great.
My daughter, when we lost in the semi-final, she was crying like anything, and today she must be the happiest person there. So they've seen me playing, they've seen me doing something great for my country. So for them, I'm the hero, and as a father, I've done a wonderful job.
(Now) I think it's time for me to take all my medals from the cupboard, and it's time for my kids to start their journey and I'm done, and their life starts.
On his career.
PR Sreejesh: I think here's the best way to say goodbye to this beautiful game. And I'm so proud and I'm so honoured to play this beautiful game for the last 24 years, and for my country for 20 years. And (with) these guys, this bunch of great players today, they gave their lives to make this happen. Thanks to them, my coaching staff, supporting staff for India, everyone, the government itself has done a wonderful job. That's it. I'm done. Thank you.
On what he will miss.
PR Sreejesh: I (will) miss everything. It was my life. When I was a baby, I stepped on to (play) hockey. From there, I was with the under-16 junior team, then into (the) under-21 junior team, then into the senior team. I don't know what is going to happen outside this hockey world, so now I'm a baby again, going back to the real world to see what is happening there.
On his best moments.
PR Sreejesh: London 2012 hurt a lot because we didn't win a match there. We lost all the matches there. And another four years in Rio, we managed to finish in the quarters. We learned a lot. We struggled a lot.
We've been through the Covid scenario together with all this hockey family. Then, in 2021 (at Tokyo 2020), you know that we got a bronze that helped us to bounce back and come and play here today because now we know what to do to reach the top four, (and) win a medal.
Germany did a wonderful job (against India in the semifinal). They won the semis, but these (Indian) guys are legends. They bounce back, and they got us to bounce again.
On the journey from difficult times to winning medals.
PR Sreejesh: It's not hard. It's learning every scenario, every situation, every match, everything teaches you something if you are willing to learn, if you are ready to accept, and if you are ready to apply it in your life. And I think that's what these guys are showing here. That's what this medal means for us.