New Delhi: Hockey legend PR Sreejesh has expressed his gratitude after being honoured with the prestigious Padma Bhushan award. Sreejesh feels the country has given him more than what he has contributed towards Indian hockey. The hockey legend retired from the sport after helping India clinch their second successive bronze medal at the Paris Olympics last year.
Regarded as one of the best goalkeepers of all time, Sreejesh played an instrumental role in helping India win a bronze medal at the Paris Games last year. He made some exceptional saves throughout the tournament, including the bronze medal match against Spain to help the team finish with back-to-back medals at the Olympics for the first time since 1972.
Sreejesh retired from international hockey after India’s memorable bronze medal triumph and is currently working as the head coach of the junior Indian men’s hockey team. He is also serving as the Team Director of the Delhi SG Pipers in the ongoing Hockey India League. The legendary goalkeeper revealed he had flashbacks of his career in mind when he found out he was conferred with Padma Bhushan on Saturday.
“I got a call from the sports ministry in the morning but was waiting for the official announcement till evening. All this time everything was going on in my mind like a flashback. I was watching a Hockey India League match in Rourkela when the awards were announced,” Sreejesh was quoted as saying by PTI.
Fondly known as the Great Wall of India, Sreejesh played multiple sports while growing up. He tried his hands at sprinting, long jump and volleyball before deciding to pursue a professional career in hockey. He trained under coach Jayakumar at his cool before earning a national call-up. There was no looking back as Sreejesh went on to make his debut for India in 2006 and established his credentials as one of the best goalkeepers in the game.
Sreejesh played a whopping 336 matches for the Indian hockey team, winning three medals at the Asian Games and two medals at the Olympics. He was part of the Indian team that won gold medals at the Asian Games in 2014 and 2022. Sreejesh also won 4 gold medals and a silver with India in the Asian Champions Trophy.
Only 2nd hockey player to receive Padma Bhushan
Sreejesh became only the second hockey player after the legendary Major Dhayn Chand to be honoured with the Padma Bhushan, India’s third-highest civilian honour. Expressing his gratitude, Sreejesh said it was a dream come true moment for him when he came to know about the honour and stated that India has given him more than he has done for Indian hockey.
“Receiving this award after retiring from the game has made me feel that the country is honouring me for whatever I have done for Indian hockey in the last 20 years. I want to thank my country which has given me back more than what I gave,” said the 36-year-old.
Indian hockey legend PR Sreejesh feels the country has given him more than he has to Indian hockey. The legendary goalkeeper was honoured with the Padma Bhushan award. Other Sports Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
