‘It is an honour…’: PM Modi after meeting Indian contingent of Paris Olympics

NEW DELHI: After meeting the Indian contingent that recently returned from the Paris Olympics, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said it was an honour for him to host all the Indian athletes at his residence.

On the occasion of Independence Day, PM Modi met the Indian contingent of the Paris Olympics at his residence 7, Lok Kalyan Marg in the national capital on Thursday. During the meet, the Indian men’s hockey team presented him with a signed jersey and hockey stick.

“It is an honour to have you all here… P R Sreejesh proved why he is known as ‘The Wall’. Everyone who won a medal and even those who lost by a point reiterated that this saga will not stop unless they win a Gold”m PM Modi said while interacting with the Indian contingent.

Every player who went to Paris is a champion. The Government of India will continue to support sports and ensure that a top-quality sporting infrastructure is built. pic.twitter.com/WhgID22Bps

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 15, 2024

Shooter Manu Bhaker, who made history by becoming the first Indian to win two medals in a single edition of the Olympics, said PM Modi encouraged her a lot. “I felt great that I received the call from PM Sir after winning the medal. He has encouraged a lot”, Bhaker said.

Further, badminton player, Lakshya Sen spoke about his training with coach Prakash Padukone. “Prakash Sir took my phone during the matches at the Olympics and said that you will not get it till the end of the tournament. A lot of people supported me throughout the journey. I had a great running experience in Paris. It was a little bit heart-breaking as I came such close of winning a medal but was unable to win it. I will try to do better in the future”, the shuttler said.

Former Indian hockey goalkeeper P R Sreejesh also spoke about his journey and said, “I have been thinking of retiring for the last few years. I joined the camp in 2002 and played my first international match in 2004 at junior level. I have played since then and represented the country for 20 years so I thought that I should retire from the sport at a good level so the Olympics was that platform. It was hard for us as we lost the semifinal. Our A team went to Paris and we thought that we would compete for the gold medal. Ahead of the bronze medal match, every player said that we have to play for Sree bhai.”

India ended its campaign at the Paris Olympics with six medals including five bronze and a silver. Led by Harmanpreet Singh, the Indian men’s hockey team won back-to-back bronze medals for the first time in 52 years at the Olympics following their 2-1 triumph over Spain.

In shooting, Manu Bhaker etched her name into the history books. She became the first Indian athlete in the post-independence era to win two medals in a single edition of the Olympics. This distinction was previously held by Norman Pritchard at the Paris 1900 Games.

In the women’s 10m air pistol event, Manu won a bronze medal, becoming the first Indian woman shooter to win a medal in this event. Alongside Sarabjot Singh, Manu secured her second bronze and India’s first-ever medal in the mixed team 10m air pistol event.

She narrowly missed a hat-trick of medals, finishing fourth in the women’s 25m pistol shooting event at the Paris Olympics. (ANI)