EXCLUSIVE: Felt like whole country welcomed us; PM Modi called us after loss in semis, Manpreet Singh

Interacting with ETV Bharat, India men's hockey team captain Manpreet Singh said that the whole country welcomed them when they returned after winning bronze medal in Olympics. He recalled Prime Minister Narendra Modi calling them after losing in semis and encouraging them to concentrate on the next match for bronze.

New Delhi: India men's hockey team captain Manpreet Singh on Tuesday said last 15 months had been full of sacrifices and hard work, which resulted in a bronze medal for the country at the Tokyo Olympics.

Speaking exclusively to ETV BHARAT, Manpreet Singh said, "Last 15 months had been very difficult for us because we were training at a camp in Bengaluru and we weren't able to meet our families. Our whole team worked hard and sacrificed things which made us to win bronze medal."

"It's been a long time for our country, we didn't have any medal for hockey in Olympics. But the wait is over and we won bronze medal," he added. Manpreet Singh expressed happiness over the grand welcome that they received landing in the national capital and said it was it was like whole country is welcoming us at airport.

He said after they lost in the semifinals, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called them and said that they should not be worried but prepare for the next match to win the bronze medal. "PM Modi said that whole country is with us and we should be tension free and should focus only on the preparations for the next match," Singh mentioned.

When asked for advice to the hockey aspirants, he said, "One should always work hard and set a particular aim because if one focuses on certain target, one will definitely achieve that."

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