Kochi village erupts in joy after Sreejesh helps India win hockey bronze in Tokyo
When their relentless siege of the Indian goal won the Germans a penalty corner in the dying seconds of the Olympic hockey bronze medal match at Tokyo on Thursday morning, a collective gasp went up at Parattu, the house of Indian goalkeeper P.R. Sreejesh in the idyllic village of Pallikkara near here.
Then time stood still as Sreejesh made that historic save and raised his arms in triumph. And the house erupted in celebration of the hero who played a crucial role in bringing Indian hockey Olympic laurels after 41 long years. Within moments television channels were to flash his new sobriquet ‘the Saviour’, which may stick for the rest of his life.
“Conceding a penalty corner in the last seconds in such a crucial match can be so nervy, But then the joy was much more when he saved it,” said P.V. Raveendran, father of Sreejesh. His mother Usha, his wife Aneeshya, seven-year-old daughter…