India's historic bronze medal win in men's hockey at the Tokyo Olympics ended the country's medal drought in the sport that ran back to 1980. India defeated Germany 5-4 in a thrilling encounter on Thursday to win their first Olympic medal in men's hockey since 1980 Moscow Games. The emotional moment where the Indian players stood on the podium with medals dangling around the necks was posted by #Tokyo2020 for India's channel on Twitter. "From dreaming of a medal to finishing on the podium.... it's been an emotional journey for the #IND men's #hockey team," read the caption.
The 34-second-long video showed Indian players making their way to the podium and helping one another wear medals that have taken over four decades to arrive.
After being defeated 1-7 by Australia earlier in their Olympics campaign, the Indian team's juggernaut overcame one obstacle after another as they made their way to their first semi-final in over four decades.
India defeated Great Britain 3-1 in the quarters before enduring a heartbreak at the hands of world number one Belgium in the semis.
After a 2-5 loss to Belgium, India regrouped quickly to fight it out in an intense battle against an aggressive German side on Thursday.
Goal-keeper PR Sreejesh saved penalty corner strikes in the dying moments of the match to help India hold on to their slender lead and win the match.
The Indian team's victory sent waves of happiness across sports community and the country with Prime Minister Narendra Modi leading congratulatory messages.