When the Indian men’s hockey team won a historic bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, it immediately gave rise to expectations that they could better it at the next edition of the quadrennial showpiece. However, as we draw nearer to the Paris Olympics (July 26 to August 11), head coach Craig Fulton believes the aim is not to look at bettering that bronze, but rather matching it, at best.

“There’s always a realistic goal and an ideal goal. The ideal goal is to win whatever tournament we are entering and be World No. 1. But the realistic goal is that we are currently ranked 4th in the world, so to get on to the podium in Paris will be considered a success. To win it, of course, would be even better, but we’re still not there yet as a team,” Fulton told mid-day over the phone from the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on the sidelines of the national camp (March 12 to 30).