Dedicate gold to Indian soldiers: Sreejesh

Goalkeeper P.R.Sreejesh, who was the hero of the Asian Games hockey final against Pakistan, Thursday dedicated gold medal to the brave soldiers of the Indian Army.

"I dedicate the victory to the Indian Army," he said, in which he pulled off two stunning saves in the penalty shoot-out to secure a 4-2 win, after the match was deadlocked 1-1 after regulation time at the Seonhak Hockey Stadium here.

India ended a 16-year gold medal drought at the Asian Games and thus booked a berth for the 2016 Rio Olympics.

"It was a team effort; there was no pressure on me. I just concentrated on myself and stuck to the basics, said Srejeesh, adding: "I was confident ahead of the shoot-out. I was well prepared for the tie-breaker as we had practiced this kind of situation a lot in training. My performance was good in the practice sessions and that gave me confidence."

Sreejesh is no stranger to stopping penalties in tie-breakers against Pakistan, having helped India lift the 2011 Asian Champions Trophy title with two crucial stops penalty in the final.

--Indo-Asian news Service

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