The residents of Mithapur village in Jalandhar district turned out in large numbers to celebrate two of their own – Manpreet Singh and Mandeep Singh – who returned home with an Olympic bronze medal in hockey from the Paris 2024 games.
After first paying their respects at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, Manpreet and Mandeep arrived in their village alongside teammates Sukhjeet Singh and Hardik Singh. They were greeted with enthusiastic cheers, clapping and sweets from local shopkeepers who had turned out to honor the athletes. Large banners commemorating the duo's achievements had been erected at the village entrance.
As the hockey stars pulled up at the local gurdwara, they were surrounded by joyous friends, family members and coaches all wanting to personally congratulate them on their podium finish. It took the players some time to make their way inside amidst the spontaneous outpouring of affection.
Once inside the gurdwara, an emotional Manpreet, who also served as team captain, spoke about his pride in helping India secure back-to-back Olympic bronze medals. He expressed confidence that with continued improvements, the team is capable of competing for gold in the future.
Mandeep echoed the sentiments of a strong team mentality being pivotal to overcoming tough opponents like Great Britain in knockout matches despite player suspensions. Both players were clearly overwhelmed yet honored by the mammoth welcome accorded to them in their village, a testament to the impact they have made.
