Parattu Raveendran Sreejesh is an Indian professional field hockey player who plays as a goalkeeper and former captain of the Indian national team. He plays in the Hockey India League for

Uttar Pradesh Wizards The Uttar Pradesh Wizards (abbreviated as UPW) are a field hockey team based in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh that plays in the Hockey India League. It is owned by Sahara India Pariwar. Former Dutch coach Roelant Oltmans serves as coach for the team an ...

. Sreejesh played a vital role in the Indian national team's bronze medal win at the

2020 Summer Olympics The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the host city during the ...

men's field hockey tournament. He won FIH Player of the Year Awards (2020–21) for best male goalkeeper.

Early life

Sreejesh was born 8 May 1988, in

Kizhakkambalam Kizhakkambalam is an eastern suburb of the city of Kochi in Ernakulam district, Kerala, India. It is regarded as a model panchayat for its various development activities and is a part of the Kunnathunad tehsil of the Ernakulam district. Demog ...

village, in the Ernakulam district of Kerala, to P. V. Raveendran and Usha, a family of farmers. He completed his primary education in St. Antony's Lower Primary School in Kizhakkambalam and he studied until the sixth standard in St. Joseph's High School in Kizhakkambalam. As a kid, he trained as a sprinter, before moving on to long jump and volleyball. At 12, he joined the GV Raja Sports School in Thiruvananthapuram. This was where his coach suggested that he take up goalkeeping. He became a professional after he was picked by hockey coach Jayakumar at the school, following which he played at the school before playing at the Nehru Cup. He completed his graduation in History from Sree Narayana College, Kollam, Kerala. In 2017, the Government of India awarded him the fourth highest civilian award Padma Shri for his work in the field of sports.

Career

International career

Sreejesh made the Junior national team in 2004, in a match against Australia in Perth, in 2004. He made his debut in the senior national team in 2006, at the South Asian Games in Colombo. Following India's win at the 2008 Junior Asia Cup, he was awarded the 'Best Goalkeeper of the Tournament'. Having been a part of the Indian team for six years, though often losing his place to senior goalkeepers,

Adrian D'Souza Adrian Albert D'souza (born 24 March 1984 in Mumbai, Maharashtra) is an Indian field hockey goalkeeper, who made his international debut for the men's national team in January 2004 during the Sultan Azlan Shah Hockey Tournament in Kuala Lumpur ...

and Bharat Chettri, he has been a regular member since 2011, after saving two penalty stroke in the Asian Champions Trophy Final in Ordos City,

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

, against Pakistan, a match-winning performance. His second 'Best Goalkeeper of the Tournament' award came at the 2013 Asia Cup, with India finishing second in the tournament. He was a part of the team that won silver medals at the Sreejesh had earlier played for India at the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

in London, and then World Cup in 2014. At the

2014 Asian Games The 2014 Asian Games ( ko, 2014년 아시아 경기대회/2014년 아시안 게임, Icheon sip-sa nyeon Asia gyeonggi daehoe/Icheon sip-sa nyeon Asian Geim), officially known as the 17th Asian Games ( ko, 제17회 아시아 경기대회/제17회 ...

Incheon Incheon (; ; or Inch'ŏn; literally "kind river"), formerly Jemulpo or Chemulp'o (제물포) until the period after 1910, officially the Incheon Metropolitan City (인천광역시, 仁川廣域市), is a city located in northwestern South Kore ...

, South Korea, he starred in Indian's gold medal win, when he saved two penalty strokes against Pakistan in the final. At the 2014 Champions Trophy and 2018 Champions Trophy, he was adjudged "Goalkeeper of the Tournament". Following impressive performances in 2014, he was nominated for the award of Best Male Goalkeeper; he eventually lost to Jaap Stockmann of the Netherlands. He was the captain of the team that won the silver medal at the

2016 Men's Hockey Champions Trophy The 2016 Men's Hockey Champions Trophy was the 36th edition of the Hockey Champions Trophy for men. It was held between 10 and 17 June 2016 in London, United Kingdom. Australia won the tournament for a record fourteenth time after defeating India ...

held at London. On 13 Jul 2016, Sreejesh was given the responsibilities of the Captain of the Indian hockey team, taking over from

Sardar Singh Sardara Singh (born 15 July 1986), sometimes referred as Sardar Singh, is an Indian former professional field hockey player and captain of the Indian national team. He usually plays the center half position. Sardara became the youngest player t ...

. At the

2016 Olympics ) , nations = 207 (including IOA and EOR teams) , athletes = 11,238 , events = 306 in 28 sports (41 disciplines) , opening = 5 August 2016 , closing = 21 August 2016 , opened_by = Vice President Michel Temer , cauldron = Vanderlei Cordeiro ...

in Rio, Sreejesh led the Indian hockey team to the quarterfinals of the tournament . At the Tokyo Olympics, on 5 August 2021, Sreejesh played a key role in defeating Germany to clinch the bronze medal for India after 41 years. Sreejesh is in race for World games Athlete of the year and according to the reports, the online voting will start from 10 January 2022 and ends at 31 January 2022.

Club career

At the auction of the inaugural season of the Hockey India League, Sreejesh was bought by the Mumbai franchise for 38,000. He played two seasons for their team, Mumbai Magicians. In 2014, he was bought by

for 69,000 and since the 2015 season, has been playing for them. PR Sreejesh became the second Indian to win the "World Athlete of the Year" after Rani Rampal.

Personal life

Sreejesh married his longtime girlfriend Aneeshya, a former long jumper and an Ayurveda doctor. They have a daughter (b. 2014) Anusree. His son, Sreeansh was born in 2017. He is currently employed as Chief Sports Organiser with the Government of Kerala's Department of General and Higher Education. Sreejesh is a member of Rotary Club of Kizhakkambalam, District 3201.

Awards

* 2021 –

Khel Ratna Award The Khel Ratna Award (), officially known as the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award ( Major Dhyan Chand Sport Jewel Award), is the highest sporting honour of India. It is awarded annually by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Governm ...

, highest sporting honour of India. * 2022- " World Athlele Of The Year 2021".

References

External links