Indian women’s hockey captain Rani Rampal’s father is looking at the bright side of the team’s loss in the bronze medal match and beleives it was not a defeat. India lost to Great Britain 3-4 on Friday. 

The Indian women had already created history and surpassed all expectations by entering the semifinals of the Games for the first time. But the maiden Olympic medal remained out of bounds as world No 4 Great Britain, who were gold-winners in the 2016 Rio Games, came out on top in the pulsating encounter.

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The girls might have lost the match but they won hearts.”This is not a defeat but a win for the effort put in by the women’s hockey team. Rani will be welcomed happily on her return. The women’s hockey team will inspire many girls in the future,” Rani Rampal, Indian women’s hockey team captain’s father said, as per ANI. 

Midfielder Neha Goyal’s mother got emotional watching the loss. “Winning and losing is a part of the game. I am sure the team will win again,” she told ANI. 

Pictures of the families of the hockey players’ families watching the game were posted by ANI. With the Indian tricolour in their hands, the near and dear ones of the players cheered for the team.

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“It’s a proud moment for us to see our daughter scoring the crucial goals in the match. We will only pray for team to bring the medal home…’Jo Bole So Nihaal Sat Sri Akal’, ” Gurcharan Singh, brother of Gurjeet Kaur who scored two goals in the match, had said during the game. 

It was not only the families, Indian President Ram Nath Kovind congratulated the team for its stellar performance.

“Indian Women’s Hockey team excelled on the field and won the hearts of every Indian with their stellar performance. We are proud of you all,” Kovind wrote.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the team can take pride from a campaign, in which it stunned three-time champions Australia 1-0 in the quarterfinals. “We will always remember the great performance of our Women’s Hockey Team at #Tokyo2020. They gave their best throughout. Each and every member of the team is blessed with remarkable courage, skill and resilience. India is proud of this outstanding team.

“We narrowly missed a medal in Women’s Hockey but this team reflects the spirit of New India- where we give our best and scale new frontiers. More importantly, their success at #Tokyo2020 will motivate young daughters of India to take up Hockey and excel in it. Proud of this team,” Modi tweeted.