PR Sreejesh: From Shot-Put to Hockey Goalkeeping Greatness

Indian men's hockey team goalkeeper PR Sreejesh has revealed that he dabbled in various sports, including shot-put, before settling on hockey as his primary pursuit. In an interview with cricketer Dinesh Karthik on JioCinema's 'Get Set Gold,' Sreejesh shared his reasons for choosing the goalkeeper position: to avoid the strenuous running required of forwards and defenders.

"Hockey was not easy because you need to bend, you need to play. That was tough for me. And over that, you need to run. I was an overweight guy. I didn't like running at all," Sreejesh explained. "So, I have seen these goalkeepers in full kit, standing in a corner and kicking the ball. I thought that was pretty funny because they're not doing anything. They're not running. They're just wearing the pad and kicking the ball. So, I thought this was the right position for me because you don't need to run. You're a part of the hockey team and you'll get grace marks."

However, Sreejesh emphasized that being a hockey goalkeeper requires a certain level of "craziness" to perform at the highest level. "The goalkeeper has to be a crazy person. Crazy, because you just need to have the guts to stand in front of that ball. The second thing is aggression, you need to be an aggressive person, and those reflexes have to be there. You don't get much time to just think, 'Save.' No, you just need to save it. Then you realize, 'Okay, I made that save,'" he said.

Sreejesh's journey to hockey began with shot-put in his school days due to his overweight and shorter stature. He then tried football and volleyball but found his calling in hockey. Despite initially choosing the goalkeeper position to avoid running, he has since become one of the most decorated players in Indian hockey history.

Sreejesh is the only Indian men's player to win the World Games Athlete of the Year award (2021). He has also won 16 international medals, including an Olympic Bronze (2020), two Asian Games Gold medals (2014, 2022), two Commonwealth Games Silver medals (2014, 2022), and four Asian Champions Trophy Gold medals (2011, 2016, 2018, 2023).

Sreejesh is expected to represent India in men's field hockey at the Paris 2024 Olympics. India has been seeded with Belgium, Australia, Argentina, New Zealand, and Ireland in Group B of the tournament.

Tags: #PR, Sreejesh, #Indian, Hockey, #Goalkeeper