World Cup medal my next target: PR Sreejesh

New Delhi, February 2

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At 33, PR Sreejesh is in the twilight of his career, but the veteran hockey goalkeeper is in no mood to call it quits anytime soon as he is eyeing a World Cup medal to add to his Tokyo Olympics bronze before deciding the future course of his career.

Sreejesh, who made his senior team debut in 2006, is regarded as one of the finest goalkeepers in world hockey.

2022 is very important for us which starts with the FIH Pro League and then we have the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games PR Sreejesh

Sreejesh, who captained the national team to the quarterfinals of the 2016 Rio Olympics, was also a part of the 2014 gold-winning Asian Games squad.

But the senior custodian is still not satisfied as he aims to win a World Cup medal next year before taking a call on his future, which includes the 2024 Paris Olympics.

“The Olympics medal was a dream but I still have a chance to better the colour of the medal,” said Sreejesh, who became only the second Indian after women’s team skipper Rani Rampal to win the World Games Athlete of the Year award.

“2022 is very important for us which starts with the FIH Pro League and then we have the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games. The Asian Games will give us a direct berth in the Paris Olympics, so there is as an added motivation. In the last World Cup, we couldn’t qualify for the semifinals, so winning a medal in the World Cup will complete my goal,” he added.

Setting short-term goals is Sreejesh’s priority now. He said that the day he feels lack of motivation towards the game, he will not hesitate to call it quits. “For a goalkeeper, age is not a big barrier. It’s about how passionate you are about the game. Personally, I am not setting any long-term target. My short-term goal next is the World Cup to be held in India,” he said. —