Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Thursday hailed the Indian men's hockey team, saying its Olympic medal after 41 years will mark the beginning of a golden period for the sport.
The win, after 41 years of hard work and wait, cannot be described in words, Pawar, who heads the Maharashtra Olympic Association, said in a statement.
In an edge-of-the-seat pulsating bronze play-off, India defeated Germany 5-4 on Thursday to earn a podium finish at the Olympic Games in Tokyo.
"The country's prestige has been enhanced and the bronze medal will be the beginning of a golden era for the sport," Pawar said.
He said the players, trainers and their colleagues deserved all the good wishes for bagging the medal with a determination to win against all odds.
Maharashtra minister Jayant Patil took to Twitter to congratulate the team in his own style. He wrote, "A phenomenal comeback by #TeamIndia ! They kept their cool despite trailing 3-1 and did the #CorrectKaryakram at the right time. Congratulations for this emphatic win. You brought glory to India at #Olympics after 41 years (sic)."
CM Uddhav Thackeray also congratulated Men's Hockey Team for their magnificent performance at Olympic Tokyo 2020.
As the Indian men's hockey team clinched bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics, Minister of Sports & Youth Services in Punjab, Rana Gurmit S Sodhi on Thursday announced a cash award of Rs 1 crore each for players from state.
(With inputs from agencies)
