Indian hockey veteran PR Sreejesh, on Monday, announced that he will retire from the sport after the 2024 Paris Olympics.

“As I stand on the threshold of my final chapter in international hockey, my heart swells with gratitude and reflection,” wrote Sreejesh in a social media post.

“This journey has been nothing short of extraordinary, and I am forever grateful for the love and support from my family, teammates, coaches, and fans,” he added.

Having made his debut back in 2006 during the South Asian Games, Sreejesh rose to become a India stalwart in the years to come. The goalkeeper has a total of 328 international caps against his name.

The 36-year-old from Kerala was a part of the 2014 Asian Games gold medal winning Indian team, the bronze medal winning team at the 2018 Asian Games four year later, as well as the 2022 Commonwealth Games silver medal winning Indian team.

Sreejesh also played a massive role in India’s historic bronze medal win at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and was also named as the FIH Goalkeeper of the Year for two years in 2021 and 2022.

He was also honoured with the Major Dhyanchand Khel Ratna award back in 2021 after India’s successful campaign at the Tokyo Games.

Sreejesh revealed that the decision to retire was taken after taking his teammates in confidence

“My teammates have stood beside through the tough and the ardent times. We all want to give our absolute best here in Paris and certainly, the desire is to change the colour of our medal,” said Sreejesh in a statement released by Hockey India.

He will compete in his fourth straight Olympic Games in Paris, having made the Indian team consecutively for the previous three editions