India win Bronze after dramatic victory over Germany

Players of India pose for a group photos as they celebrate winning their match for bronze 

TOKYO (Reuters): India won the Bronze medal in hockey after a thrilling 5-4 victory over Germany at the Tokyo Games on Thursday, giving the country its first Olympic medal in the sport in more than 40 years.

India forward Simranjeet Singh stood out from the other players by scoring two goals for India, including the winning goal of the match.

“It’s a dream come true,” Simranjeet said. “We’ve made 1.3 billion Indians proud by finishing on the podium.”

The goal-rich match was not an easy one for the eight-time Olympic champions. Germany took an early lead through a second-minute goal by Timur Oruz, and posed a threat to India in the first quarter.

After Simranjeet equalised with a backhand shot for India, Germany kept their cool, scoring two goals to take a 3-1 lead in the second quarter.

But India pulled level late in that quarter thanks to goals by Hardik Singh and Harmanpreet Singh, making it 3-3 at the halftime break.

The Bronze marked India’s first Olympic hockey medal since they last claimed the top prize at the 1980 Moscow Games, when none of the players on the current squad were born yet.

India will battle Britain for bronze in the women’s hockey tournament on Friday.