Paris: As he gears up to play in his final international tournament, legendary hockey goalkeeper PR Sreejesh posted a heartwarming picture of his first-ever jersey along with his Paris Olympics 2024 shirt and reflected on his 24-year journey in the sport.
Sreejesh announced ahead of the Paris Olympics that the competition would be his last international outing for India. The 36-year-old’s decision to make Paris his final stand has only motivated the Indian National Team to begin their “Win it for Sreejesh” campaign, urging global hockey fans to rally behind the team in their attempt to stand on the podium once again.
Taking to Instagram, Sreejesh wrote, “My first jersey… & …. My last one 24 years of journey..#gvrajasportsschool The one as a kid in 2000 ….. and The one after 24 years #the #first #thing #I #packed #from #my #home #for #this #olympicgames #paris #paris2024,” said Sreejesh’s caption.
A veteran of 328 International caps, three Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games and World Cups, Sreejesh will be playing his fourth Olympic Games. Having made his debut at the 2010 World Cup, Sreejesh has been part of various memorable wins for India, which include a gold medal in the 2014 Asian Games, a bronze medal in Jakarta-Palembang, the joint-winning team of the Asian Champions Trophy in 2018, the gold medal winning team of 2019 FIH Men’s Series Finals in Bhubaneswar and the silver medal winning team at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
The 36-year-old goalie was one of the main architects of India’s historic Bronze medal win at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic 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, he stood tall in India’s gold medal-winning campaign at the Asian Games, which sealed the team’s berth for Paris 2024.
“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,” expressed PR Sreejesh in a press release confirming his retirement.
He further added that he had discussed with the team about his decision to retire post-Olympics. “My teammates have stood beside me through tough and 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.”
