BHUBANESWAR: Seconds after the Indian men’s hockey team defeated their German counterparts by 5-4 goals, wild celebrations erupted in the State Capital.
The joy among the common public and the budding hockey players, who are training in different centres in the Capital city - now hailed as the new home of Indian hockey - knew no bounds. Jubilant youngsters from the Naval Tata Hockey Academy High Performance Centre (HPC) rushed to the monumental Kalinga Hockey stadium, which has a key role to play in the nation’s hockey revival, to commemorate the occasion. Dancing to the tunes of Sambalpuri folk music and Bollywood flick ‘Chak De India’ they exchanged sweets and celebrated the victory.
Congratulations poured in from different quarters for the hockey team. Basking in the victorious occasion, Minister of State for Sports and Youth Services Tusharkanti Behera said it was a historic day for Indian hockey. “Congratulations to the captain and the entire team for their endless efforts which have ultimately resulted in this glorious victory. It will be inspiring for the future generations”, he said.
Stating that the State government has been committed towards the development of sports, the Minister said that Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik deserves the appreciation for his support to hockey since 2018. “This is a spectacular win for the country and an emotional win for all. Proud to be an Odia,” he said.
Olympian Lazarus Barla, a son of the soil, said the 5-4 score against the Rio Olympic bronze medalist Germany was a stupendous performance.
“This is a gift we will never forget in our lives. It was an outstanding performance. In a competition for bronze, the score usually stands at 1-0 or 2-0 but today’s scoreline proves how enthralling the match was. We have a lot to learn from this match”, he said. Celebrations were in the air at the KISS-KIIT hockey ground where international hockey players Stalin Minz, Roshan Minz and Olympian Lilima Minz and students of KISS came together to congratulate the hockey heroes.