Each player of the bronze medal-winning Indian men's hockey team at the Paris Olympics 2024 will receive a cash reward of ₹15 lakh while the support staff members will get ₹7.7 lakh each, announced Hockey India. The Harmpanpreet Singh-led Indian side secured a historic bronze medal, defeating Spain 2-1. This marked India men's hockey team's second consecutive Olympic medal, an achievement last accomplished 52 years ago.

"Hockey India is proud to announce a cash prize of INR 15 lakhs for each player of the Indian Men's Hockey Team and INR 7.5 lakhs for each member of the support staff in recognition of their outstanding achievement at the 2024 Paris Olympics," HI said in a statement.

The match, held at the Yves-du-Manoir Stadium in Paris on Thursday, was especially significant as it also served as the farewell game for legendary Indian goalkeeper PR Sreejesh, who had earlier announced that this Games would be his last in the Indian jersey.

India, who suffered a heartbreaking loss to Germany in the semi-final barely couple of days ago, delivered a stellar performance, with the skipper leading from the front. Harmanpreet Singh scored two crucial goals in the 30th and 33rd minutes to end the tournament as the highest goal-scorer.

Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey lauded the team's historic performance. "This victory is a testament to the hard work, determination, and resilience of our players and support staff. Winning back-to-back Olympic medals is an extraordinary achievement that reflects the resurgence of Indian hockey on the world stage. The cash prizes are a token of our appreciation for their relentless pursuit of excellence. I would also like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to PR Sreejesh for his stellar career and invaluable contributions to Indian hockey. His legacy will inspire future generations."

The opening quarter saw some top-class action by both teams, showcasing their intent to finish on the podium. While both were on par with each other with the ball possession, India looked more dominant with a fierce attacking structure. They created early chances through some handy work by Hardik Singh, finding gaps in the left flank, setting up Sukhjeet in the center of the D. The young forward pulled a powerful shot but was deflected wide. Almost immediately, a quick-fire shot came from the left flank by Gurjant Singh but was well-saved. This was perhaps the best chance for goal out of the nine circle entries India made in the opening quarter while their defence allowed Spain into their circle just twice.

Only minutes into the second quarter, India were put on the backfoot when they conceded a penalty stroke. Perhaps not the start Sreejesh was looking for in his farewell match as Marc Miralles broke no sweat in converting the stroke. Despite the 0-1 setback early in the second quarter, India showed great intent to score and get on level terms with Spain. Indian fans rallied behind their teams with chants of "India- India" only growing louder in the stadium. The team was able to finally convert, when they won the second PC of the match in the 30th minute, only seconds before the half-time hooter. It was Captain Harmanpreet Singh who lived up to the billing with a stunning dragflick.

With an equaliser in their kitty, India looked more positive as they entered into the third quarter. They took a crucial 2-1 lead in the 33rd minute when Harmanpreet struck a splendid goal, thus taking his individual score in the tournament to an impressive 10.

The Men in Blue built on the momentum from their second goal, dominating the ball possession to up the ante. They created another PC in the 36th minute, but could not convert. The following few minutes got feisty with India finding a couple of more opportunities to extend their lead but Spain's defenders particularly Ignacio Rodriguez were up to the task to stop India from taking a formidable lead in the third quarter.

Only 15 minutes away from a historic Bronze medal, India really had to hold on to their nerves. The play slowed down a bit, with India dropping pace in their attack. They played carefully, not making any hasty moves while Spanish attackers showed their desperation to score an equaliser.

Every single Indian player on the pitch was vigilant, not allowing any errors. With the clock ticking away, Marc Miralles helped Spain win a PC in the crucial moments. With one minute and 26 seconds on the clock, India did brilliantly well with Sreejesh getting a beautiful deflection. The drama didn't end there with Spain taking a referral to check dangerous play after Sreejesh's deflection went high up. To Indian fans' relief, Spain lost the referral but it didn't end there.

With 44 seconds left, Spain managed another PC. Sreejesh makes a flying effort to make the save. Though Spain won a re-take, they fumbled and India did extremely well to give it their all to clinch another historic medal, a hard-earned one in this Olympic Games.

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