Sjoerd Marijne, the coach of the Indian women’s hockey team, thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his “inspirational phone conversation” and pledged to deliver his emotional message to his players in Tokyo 2020.
After India’s semi-final defeat on Wednesday, PM Modi spoke with captain Rani Rampal and coach Marijne to convey his pride in the hockey team’s performance at the ongoing Olympic Games.
India lost a hard-fought semi-final match against Argentina on Wednesday, but Rani Rampal’s team’s season is far from done.
India, who surprised gold medal favourites and three-time Olympic winners Australia in their first-ever Olympic quarter-final, still has a chance to win an unprecedented medal at the Games, as they will meet Great Britain in the bronze medal match on Friday.
Marijne also told PM Modi that in the bronze medal match on August 6, they will give it their best.
“Thanks very much Sir @narendramodi for your inspirational phone call, I will bring over the message to the team, we will show resilience and also keep showing the Indian Shernis fighting spirit in the match for the bronze medal,” Marijne tweeted.
PM Modi reminded Rani and Marijne over the phone earlier on Wednesday that the women’s squad is a talented group of athletes who have put in a lot of effort and that they must look ahead. He also stated that wins and defeats are a part of life and that they should not be used as a source of discouragement.
PM Modi also took to Twitter to congratulate the girls.
“One of the things we will remember #Tokyo2020 for is the stupendous performance by our Hockey teams. Today and through the Games, our Women’s Hockey team played with grit and showcased great skill. Proud of the team. Best of luck for the game ahead and for future endeavours,” PM Modi tweeted.
The Indians fought hard and gave Argentina a run for their money, gaining the lead in the second minute thanks to Gurjit Kaur’s penalty corner convert. The Las Leonas, on the other hand, came back forcefully with two penalty corner goals from captain Maria Barrionuevo to secure the hard-fought victory.
