"India Is Proud": PM Narendra Modi After Women's Hockey Team's Heartbreak In Tokyo Olympics

Indian women's hockey team came close to winning their first-ever Olympic medal but narrowly missed the chance as they lost the bronze medal match 3-4 to Great Britain on Friday. India were trailing 0-2 in the second quarter but double strike from Gurjit Kaur brought them back in the contest and then Vandana Katariya scored to help India take a 3-2 lead at the halfway stage. Great Britain equalised in the third quarter and then scored again early in the final 15 minutes of the contest to turn around the bronze medal clash in their favour. The Rani Rampal-led side gave it their all in the final few minutes but Great Britain's defence held their nerves and didn't give India any chance to equalise. After putting in a spirited performance, social media hailed women's hockey team's courage. Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter and said "India is proud" of the team.

"We will always remember the great performance of our Women's Hockey Team at #Tokyo2020. They gave their best throughout. Each and every member of the team is blessed with remarkable courage, skill and resilience. India is proud of this outstanding team," PM Modi tweeted.

We will always remember the great performance of our Women's Hockey Team at #Tokyo2020. They gave their best throughout. Each and every member of the team is blessed with remarkable courage, skill and resilience. India is proud of this outstanding team.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 6, 2021

Indian women's team fighting display in the bronze medal match drew praise from their opponents Great Britain, who tweeted "What an amazing game, what an amazing opponent @TheHockeyIndia you've done something special at #Tokyo2020 - the next few years look very bright."

What an amazing game, what an amazing opponent @TheHockeyIndia you've done something special at #Tokyo2020 - the next few years look very bright pic.twitter.com/9ce6j3lw25

— Great Britain Hockey (@GBHockey) August 6, 2021

Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan told the women's team to keep their heads high after inspiring everyone in the country with their performance at the Tokyo Olympics.

Heartbreak!!! But all reasons to hold our heads high. Well played Indian Women's Hockey Team. You all inspired everyone in India. That itself is a victory.

— Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) August 6, 2021

"Heartbreak!!! But all reasons to hold our heads high. Well played Indian Women's Hockey Team. You all inspired everyone in India. That itself is a victory," Shah Rukh Khan wrote in his tweet.

Here are the other reactions:

The performance of the Indian women's hockey team has been one of the best stories of the Tokyo #Olympics They played as a team and gave it their all. Cannot ask for any more. Thank you for giving us fans so many wonderful memories

— Viren Rasquinha (@virenrasquinha) August 6, 2021

A historic run by the Indian women's hockey team comes to an end with a narrow 4-3 loss vs Great Britain

A commendable effort throughout the tournament. This journey was inspirational and will be remembered forever#OneFamily #MumbaiIndians #Cheer4India pic.twitter.com/hI3nSq1t2o

— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) August 6, 2021

Don't break down girls, you all played superb at #Tokyo2020 by reaching top 4 in the world!
I appreciate our Women's Hockey for making India proud. #Cheer4India !! https://t.co/74J5QwxrYN pic.twitter.com/xMaGC3yLg6

— Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) August 6, 2021

India had a difficult start to their campaign at the Tokyo Olympics losing their first three games in the Pool stage. They qualified for the quarterfinals by beating Ireland and South Africa and then stunned Australia in the knockout match to book a place in the semis.