Rajnath Singh praises hockey teams, says they have held country's head high

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday congratulated the Indian men's and women's hockey teams for their performance at the Tokyo Olympics.

Asked by reporters about victory of Indian men's and women's hockey teams at Tokyo Olympics, Singh said, "They have held the country's head high, made the country proud and so congratulations to all."

The Indian women's hockey team created history on Monday here at Oi Hockey Stadium -- North Pitch -- as they qualified for the semi-finals of the Olympics for the very first time after defeating Australia 1-0.

In what comes as a historic day and possibly the greatest moment for women's hockey in India, Gurjit Kaur scored the lone goal in the match during the first half through a penalty corner in a very tightly contested match. The Indian players looked to give it their all as they ensured Gurjit's effort did not go in vain.The Australians threw it their all, but the Indian women refused to buckle even though the Aussies kept piling the pressure with each passing minute.

 

Earlier on Sunday, the Indian men's hockey team reached the last four of the Olympics for the first time in 41 years as the team defeated Great Britain 3-1. The last four berth had eluded the Indian men's hockey team since the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games where the team led by V Baskaran won the eighth Gold medal for India.