We can repeat Tokyo medal feat: Dilip Tirkey

HI prez believes team has quality to finish on the podium in Paris
MUMBAI: Hockey India president and former India hockey captain Dilip Tirkey is upbeat about the Indian men's hockey team's chances of repeating its 2020 Tokyo Olympics feat and clinching a medal in the upcoming Paris Olympics, scheduled to be held from July 26.
The Indian men's hockey team had won a bronze medal at Tokyo.It was the first podium finish for the hockey team since the 1980 Moscow Games. "Not just me, the entire country is expecting a good show from our men's team. I have faith that it has the quality to win a medal for us at the Paris Olympics.
"Our drag-flickers, especially captain Harmanpreet Singh, the defenders, particularly midfielder Manpreet Singh, and the goalkeeper, PR Sreejesh, are all in form and are focused about winning a medal," Tirkey told TOI in an exclusive interview at an event at Ashoka Towers here on Tuesday where he was honoured by former India cricket captain Dilip Vengsarkar on behalf of D & F Foundation. Reflecting on the Indian men's hockey team's mixed performance in the FIH Pro League 2023-24, where it finished fourth, with a tally of 24 points from 16 matches which included five wins, three shootout wins, five defeats, and three shootout defeats, Tirkey said: "Since the Olympics was approaching, we used the Pro League to provide exposure to a lot of our youngsters.
"All of us in HI, the central and state government (Odisha) were focused on preparing for the Olympics. Our sponsors too have been very supportive. We're hoping that our team will win its second successive medal at the Olympics."
The Indian men's hockey team is placed in Pool B alongside defending champions Belgium, familiar foes Australia, Argentina, New Zealand, and Ireland. To advance to the quarterfinals, the team must secure a top-four finish in their pool. Tirkey, a veteran of as many as 412 international matches, felt that India became laggards in world hockey since they didn't have good drag-flickers- an area where the western teams were far superior.
"In modern hockey, a drag flicker and goalkeeper are extremely important for a team. We are focusing on improving on these two areas of our game. We have therefore launched special programs around the country to discover good drag-flickers and goalkeepers. We've chosen good drag-flick coaches like Rupinder Pal Singh and Raghunath, who were good drag-flickers.
"They will travel to all the states in India and tap potentially good drag-flickers. Similarly, we've launched a talent hunt to discover good goalkeepers in India," Tirkey explained. "The most encouraging thing for India hockey is that we've revived the Hockey India League (HIL), which will be held in December."