Indian hockey team at Tokyo Olympics: A date with history

On August 5, 2021, Indian hockey turned a corner!

After 41 long years, the Indian men’s hockey team finally found its way back to the Olympic podium after winning a bronze medal at Tokyo 2020 by beating Germany in the third-place playoff.

The significance of the medal cannot be emphasised enough.

Having dominated world hockey from the 1920s to the 80s, a period which saw them win eight golds, one silver and two bronze medals at the Olympics, Indian hockey’s decline over the next four decades was perplexing.

While the team was never devoid of special talents and was always deemed capable of beating anyone on its day, the lack of consistency saw India return empty-handed from nine straight Summer Games. Successes at major international tournaments were also scarce.

The once-mighty hockey nation, which was considered championship favourites for almost every edition during their glory days, were gradually reduced to being mere dark horses. Coming into Tokyo 2020, it was no different.

Winning the medal at Tokyo, hence, was crucial to reignite hopes that India can, once again, rise to the top of the hockey world.

Here’s an account of how the Indian men’s hockey team won its historic bronze medal at Tokyo 2020.

Road to Tokyo 2020 Olympics

After failing to progress beyond the group stages at the Olympics from 1984 to 2012, India finally managed to break the hoodoo by making the quarter-finals at Rio 2016.

Progress at Tokyo 2020 was integral to keep the momentum going.

With coach Graham Reid at the helm and the enigmatic Manpreet Singh as captain, the Indian team showed steady form heading into the Tokyo Olympics. Medals at top-tier tournaments like the Asian Championships, Asia Cup, FIH Series Final and a quarter-final finish at the FIH Men’s World Cup 2018 helped boost the team’s confidence heading into the Tokyo Games.

Manpreet Singh and Co. didn’t break much of a sweat in booking their berth for Tokyo 2020 after overpowering Russia 11-3 on aggregate over the two-legged qualifiers. The momentum, however, halted with the Summer Games being postponed by a year due to COVID-19.

COVID times also proved challenging for the squad with multiple first-teamers, including captain Manpreet, testing positive for the coronavirus. Preparations suffered as a result.

Despite the challenges, though, the Indian team was ready and focused by the time the Tokyo Olympics started on July 23, 2021. Coach Graham Reid decided to put his faith in the youngsters with as many as 10 members of the team set for their Olympic debut in Tokyo.

Indian men’s hockey team’s run at Tokyo Olympics

India’s start to the Tokyo 2020 campaign was far from ideal. After narrowly beating New Zealand 3-2 in their opener, Manpreet Singh and Co. suffered a damaging 7-1 loss to Australia in their second game of Pool A.

The defeat cast serious doubts over the team’s chances of making it past the group stage.

India, though, responded brilliantly after the disappointment…