Paris Olympics 2024: India men's hockey team’s Lalit Upadhyay says, ‘Defeating Australia was a redefining moment for us'
Lalit Upadhyay talks to HT City about the win and why ‘we are yet to create history’ with a hope for gold next
India men’s hockey Paris Olympic winner Lalit Upadhyay: Defeating Australia was truly a redefining moment for Indian hockey
The India men’s hockey team member, who was part of the Paris 2024 Olympics and won the bronze medal, talks to HT City about the win and why ‘we are yet to create history’ with a hope for gold next.
“Desh ke liye medal jeetna ek alag feeling hoti hai. And if it's back-to-back (Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024), it is big for us, but we as a team would not call it historic till we are able to change the colour of our medal to gold. And I feel we are inspired enough with the kind of love coming our way from the entire nation and above all from our Prime Minister,” says hockey player Lalit Upadhyay, as he talks to HT City soon after India men’s hockey team won bronze at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
{{/usCountry}}“Desh ke liye medal jeetna ek alag feeling hoti hai. And if it's back-to-back (Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024), it is big for us, but we as a team would not call it historic till we are able to change the colour of our medal to gold. And I feel we are inspired enough with the kind of love coming our way from the entire nation and above all from our Prime Minister,” says hockey player Lalit Upadhyay, as he talks to HT City soon after India men’s hockey team won bronze at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
{{/usCountry}}Talking about the historic win, Upadhyay, who got a grand welcome along with his teammates on their return to India, says, "We, as a team, feel that it's a fragment of the Indian hockey's golden era that we as a nation once witnessed. We want to revisit that with gold soon."
{{/usCountry}}Talking about the historic win, Upadhyay, who got a grand welcome along with his teammates on their return to India, says, "We, as a team, feel that it's a fragment of the Indian hockey's golden era that we as a nation once witnessed. We want to revisit that with gold soon."
{{/usCountry}}Upadhyay adds that people confuse challenging games with those with high pressure. "People think we are under pressure when we miss goals or lose but that's not the scene. Like in our match against Germany, it was more of a challenge than pressure. We wanted to win, and we outplayed them many a times throughout the match. The team refused to bow down and that's the beauty of our current team,” he says, adding, “Defeating Australia was truly a redefining moment for Indian hockey. Saalo pehle ka badla poora hua.”
On India not winning a single gold in the Paris 2024 Olympics, Upadhyay says, “I know many say that it's a big nation and we could have won more medals. But to just be on a medal tally — be it in any sport — is a big thing. So, one should not underestimate the victories. Gold ki journey bhi poori hogi. We just need our country’s support."
