India ends long wait for 12th men's field hockey medal

Players of India celebrate after scoring against Germany during the men's bronze medal match of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games field hockey competition, at the Oi Hockey Stadium. ((Photo By Anne-Christine Poujoulat/Afp Via Getty Images))

A 41-year wait is over for India, which claimed its 12th Olympic medal in men's field hockey with a 5-4 win over Germany in the bronze medal match in Japan on Wednesday.

India won gold its 11th Olympic medal in men's field hockey in 1980 and surely didn't expect to wait four-plus decades for the next one.

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The nation that won medals in 10-straight games and took home eight golds between 1928 and 1980 stopped a powerful German streak. Germany does not win a medal for the first time since 2000.

Down 3-1 after 25 minutes, India scored the next four goals to claim a lead that would last the rest of the match.

Simranjeet Singh scored two goals for India, whose coach Graham Reid won a silver medal for Australia at Barcelona 1992.


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