Hockey India honoured legendary goalkeeper PR Sreejesh by retiring his jersey no.16 following his retirement from his illustrious international career. Sreejesh bid adieu to international hockey after the Men in Blue's second successive Olympic bronze medal win at the Paris Olympics 2024.
Harmanpreet Singh-led Team India gave a fitting farewell to veteran goalkeeper PR Sreejesh with a 2-1 win over Spain in the bronze medal match at the Paris Games. The 36-year-old already announced that the Paris Olympics would be last the last appearance in his international career.
Since PR Sreejesh retired on a high with two successive Olympic bronze medals, the Hockey India decided to honour their stalwart by retiring his jersey number. This means Sreejesh's number 16 jersey will no longer worn by any player in the team as a tribute to him for his contribution to the Indian hockey.
"Sreejesh is now going to be the junior team coach and we are retiring the No. 16 jersey for the senior team. We are not retiring No. 16 for the junior team." Hockey India secretary Bole Nath Singh said at the felicitation ceremony,
Bole Nath Singh already announced that PR Sreejesh will be the head coach of India men's junior hockey team and will discuss the same with the Sports Federation of India and the Governement on his appointment.
Having made his international debut for India at the South Asian Games in 2006, Sreejesh went on to cement his place as the first choice goalkeeper as well as one of the well-established players in the history of Indian hockey.
Sreejesh played a crucial role In helping India men's hockey end 41-year Olympic medal with the bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics 2021. Apart from helping India win two Olympic medals, the Kerala-born hockey player played a pivotal role in India's triumph at the Asian Games in 2014 and 2022, and Asian Champions Trophy in 2011, 2016, 2018 and 2023.
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'It should have been a gold': PR Sreejesh
PR Sreejesh spoke about the significance of Indian hockey's bronze medal win at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, while expressing his slight disappointment of turning bronze medal into bronze,
"Tokyo for sure because we won an Olympic medal after a long time. Earlier we used to hear what an Olympic medal means as hockey has a rich history of gold, silver and bronze medals. But it never came in our hands. So when we got it for the first time, that was a moment." Sreejesh told reporters ahead of his felicitation ceremony.
"We had that hope that we are going to be (number) one. I feel it is a big disappointment (not to get a gold), it should have been a gold. The big difference is there (in Tokyo) I was happy." he added.
