THOOTHUKUDI: Kovilpatti residents gave a rousing reception to two hockey players who represented the Indian hockey team at the Asia Cup held in Indonesia. Mareeswaran and Karthi's outstanding performance helped India win a bronze medal at the tournament which took place between May 23 and June 1.
Karthi's goal against Pakistan and Mareeswaran goal against South Korea led India to scale up the chart to play against Japan for the third place.
It may be noted that Mareeswaran and Karthi replenished the 11-year-long wait for the Tamil Nadu's player to board Indian squad following the state's undeniable efforts to groom players with facilities like Sports Hostel for Excellence (SHE) at Kovilpatti under the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu.
They both reached Kovilpatti by bus on Saturday morning. The residents led by the Thoothukudi unit of hockey secretary C Guru Chithra Shanmuga Bharathi and Kovilpatti municipal chairman Karunanidhi welcomed them in front of the Kovilpatti railway station. They rallied to Mareeswaran's house by road with the traditional drums.
The duo was then rallied to SHE hostel, where coach Muthukumar welcomed the players by cutting cake. The players wished to retain their position in the Indian team for at least 10 more years and bring laurels to the country.