India retained the Olympic hockey bronze medal by beating Spain 2-1 in the playoff at the Paris 2024 Games on Thursday. India had ended a 41-year medal drought by clinching a bronze at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
The bronze medal feat meant veteran goalkeeper P R Sreejesh finished his international career on a high. The 36-year-old also became the first Keralite to win two Olympic medals.
Former hockey goalkeeper Manuel Fredericks was the first Malayali to clinch an Olympic medal and Sreejesh emulated his feat at the Tokyo Games.
Sreejesh was in sparkling form in Paris. He played a huge role in India's win over Great Britain in the quarterfinals. He made numerous saves in regulation time after India were forced to play with 10 men for over 40 minutes following defender Amit Rohidas' red card. Sreejesh also blocked an attempt in the penalty shootout as India edged Britain.
Sreejesh kept his neve in the final minutes as India edged out Spain to win a second successive bronze medal.
Sreejesh, who featured in his fourth Olympics, ended with 336 caps to his credit. He won almost everything except a World Cup medal in an international career spanning 18 years.
Fredericks was the goalkeeper of the Indian team which won the bronze medal at Munich 1972. The 76-year-old Fredericks, who hails from Burnassery in Kannur, guarded the Indian goal in two World Cups and was part of the team which won silver in the 1973 edition.
Karnataka was his adopted state and he used to coach schoolchildren in Bengaluru. The Kerala government built a home for Fredericks at Palliyanmoola in Kannur in 2019 taking into account his struggles.
