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The goalkeeper of the German men’s hockey team has called the behaviour of a The Dutch player who silenced him after losing the Olympic final “The most disrespectful thing I have ever experienced in sports.”
In one of the most unpleasant scenes of the Paris Olympics, Duco Telgenkamp mocked Jean-Paul Danneberg by putting his finger to his lips after scoring the decisive penalty that sealed Dutch Olympic glory. The striker also brushed the German goalkeeper’s helmet before riding off on his bike to celebrate with his team-mates.
Their actions sparked a furious post-match brawl, when pushing and elbowing broke out between the teams before referees separated them after Dutch player Floris Middendorp grabbed Germany’s Niklas Wellen by the neck.
Danneberg later broke his silence on Telgenkamp’s antagonistic celebration, labelling him a “bad winner”.
“It was the biggest lack of respect I have ever experienced in sport,” the goalkeeper said. “I don’t know how anyone can be such a bad winner. It’s the best moment of his life and they boo him for it at the awards ceremony.”
Telgenkamp, who was accused on social media of poor sportsmanship, later attempted to justify his actions by claiming he had been upset by pre-match comments from Danneberg, who suggested the Netherlands were “afraid” of Germany.
“There were articles that we took personally,” said Telgenkamp, 22. “After that, everything became very emotional. What I did was not nice. I regret the way I acted. Again, emotions came out at the end. But it is what it is. We won. I would have apologized if I had seen it.”
The victory gave the Dutch their third gold medal and their 10th medal overall in hockey since 1928. They last won gold at the Sydney Games in 2000, having lost in the finals in 2004 and 2012.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was in the stands watching his country as chants of “Holland!” and “Deutschland!” competed during a fiercely contested defensive duel.
Dutch captain Thierry Brinkman scored the opening goal in the 46th minute by deflecting a ball over Danneberg. Germany responded with a penalty corner converted by midfielder Thies Prinz in the 50th minute, taking the match to penalties. And then it all began.
India won bronze in men’s field hockey for the second consecutive time at the Olympics after beating Spain 2-1 on Thursday. Before Tokyo 2021, India had not won a medal in the sport since 1980.
“We are making history again,” said captain and top scorer Harmanpreet Singh. “It’s a great day for India and a great day for hockey.”