'We should have got gold in Paris': Tokyo bronze holds more significance says Sreejesh

New Delhi: A proud owner of two consecutive Olympic medals, Indian hockey star P R Sreejesh says the bronze claimed in Tokyo three years ago is closer to his heart than the one fetched in Paris as the former was like a mythical tale coming true after decades of merely hearing about it. The 36-year-old goalkeeper, who bid adieu to his international career at the end of India's Paris campaign, was, in fact, a shade disappointed with the colour of the medal this time as he felt the team should have done better.

"Tokyo for sure because we won an Olympic medal after a long time. Earlier we used to hear what an Olympic medal means as hockey has a rich history of gold, silver and bronze medals. But it never came in our hands. So when we got it for the first time, that was a moment," Sreejesh told PTI editors at its headquarters when asked to make the difficult choice here on Tuesday. "That time we were not sure about winning a medal but this time we were in top six and capable of beating any team. But (in Tokyo) to become a medallist was a dream," he explained the difference.

Sreejesh, who has 336 international caps, was overwhelmed by the way his teammates accorded him farewell and was seen with tears in his eyes once the side ensured a podium finish in the French capital.

"That was a fantastic moment. Whenever a player goes out, I have never seen everyone walking you out of the field. That was a proud moment. Whenever I was thinking about my retirement, I told the players 'you guys form two lines and I would just walk in between you'," he said. "This was like far better than that. You are celebrating and all the youngsters are with you, you are sitting on top of the goalpost.