“My first jersey and my last one” - PR Sreejesh shares a picture as he announces that Paris Olympics 2024 would be his last tournament
Arguably the best goalkeeper in the world, PR Sreejesh recently took to Instagram to post a priceless picture. In the picture, Sreejesh can be seen with his first-ever Indian jersey and the last one which he is about to don at the Paris Olympics 2024. He has announced the mega event in Paris as his last in the national colors.
Sreejesh, who represented the Indian men's hockey team on 328 instances, competed in three Summer Games and would be taking part in his fourth and final Olympics in Paris, starting on July 26.
“My first jersey & My last one, 24 years of journey. The one as a kid in 2000.and the one after 24 years,” he wrote on Instagram.
PR Sreejesh's notable achievements in his career
Sreejesh made his debut at the South Asian Games in 2006 and has been part of several historic moments for the Indian men's hockey team, including the gold medal win at the Asian Games in 2014 and the bronze medal win at the Asian Games in 2018.
Additionally, he played an exceptional role in propelling his side to a silver medal finish at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, in 2022, while securing a third-place finish at the FIH Pro League in 2021-22.
That said, PR Sreejesh's major career achievement came in 2021 when he was part of the bronze medal-winning team at the Tokyo Olympics, playing a pivotal role in Team India’s journey.
Hailing from Kizhakkambalam, Kerala, PR Sreejesh has been honored with multiple accolades during his long and notable career. He was awarded with the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award in 2021 while bagging consecutive FIH Goalkeeper of the Year awards in 2021 and 2022.
The Indian men’s hockey team is placed in a group of death ‘Pool B.’ They will start their Paris Olympics 2024 campaign against New Zealand on July 27. They will take on Argentina on July 29 and Ireland and Belgium on July 30 and August 1, respectively. Their final group stage contest will be against Australia on August 2.