By Vivek Prabhakar Singh
New Delhi [India], October 13 : Indian men's hockey coach Craig Fulton reflected on the team's bronze medal-winning campaign at the Paris Olympics, describing it as a result of collective hard work and careful planning. The Harmanpreet Singh-led side defeated Spain 2-1 to clinch bronze last year, which was India's second consecutive Olympic medal in men's hockey, a feat achieved after 52 years.
Speaking at the felicitation ceremony organised by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) for Paris 2024 medalists, Fulton credited the team's unity and preparation.
"I think it's a massive team effort. It was a really successful campaign. Yes, we came close in the semi-final... Wherever the gap is, we'll try and improve it," he told ANI.
Looking ahead, Fulton stressed on the importance of maintaining balance and focus as India prepare for two major upcoming events, the FIH Hockey World Cup and the Asian Games.
"We have about ten months till the World Cup, and everyone wants India to do well there. It's a fantastic tournament," Fulton said.
"Three weeks later, we have the Asian Games. So we've got a bit of a balancing act between the two tournaments... they're both very important to us, so we have to plan well," he noted.
Harmanpreet Singh emerged as the leading goal-scorer in the tournament, netting 10 goals in eight matches, surpassing Australia's Blake Govers, who scored seven goals.
India finished in the 71st place in the Paris Olympics medals tally. The United States was on the top place with 126 medals.
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