New Delhi: The Incheon Asian games gold medal winning Indian men’s hockey team returned home to a rousing welcome by Hockey India (HI), fans and friends at the Indira Gandhi International airport in New Delhi on Sunday.
The Sardar Singh-led team landed at the airport at 1 am and were received by Hockey India President Mariamma Koshy and CEO Elena Norman amid the beat of drums and dhols.
“It’s a proud moment for the whole country. We have worked hard for last 8 months to achieve this target and now we feel proud having achieved it. There was pressure since we could not win Asiad gold for last 16 years, but we were determined to win this time,” Indian hockey team captain Sardar Singh said.
India clinched the gold at the Asian games after 16 years, defeating arch rival Pakistan in a nail-biting penalty shootout. The win ensures India a direct ticket to the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio.
An 11-member athletics team also returned home with 20km race walk silver medallist Khusbir Kaur and bronze medallists Lalita Babbar (3000m steeplechase) and O P Jaisha (1500m) among them.
Officials of the Athletics Federation of India and enthusiastic fans received them to the beating of the drums at the IGI airport at wee hours today.
Men race walkers Sandeep Kumar, Basantha Bahadur Rana and K Ganapathy and women’s 800m specialist Sushma Devi were among the other athletes who returned home.
Foreign long distance running coach Nikolai Snesarev and race walk coach Alexander also arrived with the group.
21-year-old Khusbir from Amritsar said it was gratifying to finish on the podium and dedicated her silver medal to the unstinted support she received from her family and coaches who had trained her since she took up the event.
“I expected myself to keep the faith of my coach and team-mates. It was a tough race with high humidity in Incheon, but coach Alexander had prepared us well. I am thankful to my family, coaches and team-mates for always supporting me,” she said.
Lalita Babbar said “it’s a dream come true to win a medal after years of sacrifices. I’m thankful to my coaches and my family for standing by me”.
Jaisha, who clocked 4:13:46 to win the women’s 1500m bronze, gushed at the adulation from fans at the airport. It was 31-year-old runner’s first big medal after she won a bronze in 5000m race in Doha Asian Games 2006.
“I had to prove it to myself that I was capable of winning an Asian Games medal again. The years of waiting has not gone in vain,” said Jaisha, who has won two gold medals in 1500m and 3000m at 2005 Asian Indoor Games in Bangkok.
