The Indian hockey team has a mission in Paris. Winning gold is only stating the obvious. But it goes further than that. The team wants to give PR Sreejesh, iconic and veteran goalkeeper, a golden farewell. The 36-year-old legend declared that he will hang up his goalkeeping kit after the 2024 Paris Olympic Games due to start on July 26. His announcement stirred up emotions not only in the camp but in every corner of the globe where Indian fans root for their team.

Hockey India saluted the exemplary World Cupper and Olympian amidst a surge of emotion across the fraternity. “Win it for Sreejesh” is the call. In 2020, India strode the podium after 41 years at the Games. It was a last-play save by the stalwart that sealed the bronze medal after Germany threatened to take the match into the shootout. A veteran of 328 International caps, three Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games and World Cups, Sreejesh is poised to play his fourth Olympic Games.

He made his debut at the 2010 World Cup, Sreejesh has been part of various memorable wins for India, which includes the gold medal at the 2014 Asian Games. He also anchored his team in campaigns that yielded the bronze medal in Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games in 2018 and at the Asian Champions Trophy the same year. Sreejesh also stood tall as India won the gold medal at the 2019 FIH Men’s Series Finals in Bhubaneswar and the Silver at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

He was instrumental in India’s third-place finish at the FIH Hockey Pro League 2021/22.

Sreejesh was awarded the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award in 2021 and is only the second sportsperson from India to win the award of World Games Athlete of the Year 2021.

He has also won back-to-back FIH Goalkeeper of the Year awards in 2021 and 2022, respectively.

Last year, the stability he lent the defence was central to the gold medal victory at the Hangzhou Asian Games that enabled India qualify directly to the Paris Olympics.

“As I prepare for my last dance in Paris, I look back with immense pride and forward with hope. This journey has been nothing short of extraordinary, and I am forever grateful for the love and support from my family, teammates, coaches, fans and Hockey India. Thank you for believing in me,” Sreejesh said.

He revealed he shared his thoughts of retiring after the Olympics with the team.

“My teammates have stood beside through the tough and the ardent times. We all want to give our absolute best here in Paris and certainly, the desire is to change the colour of our medal,” Sreejesh said.

Congratulating Sreejesh on his stellar career, Hockey India President Dr Dilip Tirkey said, “Sreejesh was hardly 18 or 19-years-old when I first saw him in the Indian camp and if I recall right, he made his international debut when I was captaining the Indian team. He is a very special player and my heart fills with joy and gratitude for his exemplary contribution to Indian hockey. This outing in Paris will certainly be a special one for the team and I believe Sreejesh’s decision will only encourage the team further to stand on the podium yet again and make it truly special not just for Sreejesh but for the entire hockey fraternity. I wish him and the team the very best.”

Echoing those emotions, Hockey India Secretary General Shri Bhola Nath Singh said, “Sreejesh is a legend, an inspiration to the entire nation and I congratulate him on a fantastic career studded with several laurels that has brought honour and pride to the nation. Hockey India respects his decision to retire after the Paris Olympic Games, making this a truly special tournament not just for the team but also for Indian hockey fans. I wish him and the team the best in their campaign.”

Captain Harmanpreet Singh said, “Paris 2024 will indeed be a special tournament. We have decided to dedicate our campaign to the legend Sreejesh. He has been an inspiration for all of us and I still remember his mentorship in 2016 Junior World Cup when we lifted the title. It was the beginning of many of our careers in International hockey and he has shaped each one of our careers in his own way. We want to ‘Win it for Sreejesh’ and we are all the more encouraged to stand on the podium once again.”