Asian Games 2026: India end 44-year wait for women's hockey gold, beat China to qualify for 2028 Olympics

India's women's hockey team ended a 44-year wait for Asian Games gold on Friday, edging defending champions China 1-0 in the final to reclaim the continental title and book a direct berth at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Lalremsiami delivered the decisive moment in the 10th minute, unleashing a superb tomahawk to put India ahead. What followed was a test of India's defensive resolve as China mounted relentless attacks in search of an equaliser.

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The Indian defence held firm, with veteran goalkeeper Savita Punia producing a crucial penalty-stroke save to preserve the lead. China, the silver medallist at the Paris Olympics, were ultimately unable to break through as India held on for a landmark victory.

The triumph ended one of Indian women's hockey's longest waits. India had won the women's hockey gold only once before, in 1982, when the sport made its Asian Games debut.

Since then, the title had twice slipped away after India reached the final. The team finished runners-up in 1998, losing to South Korea, and again in 2018, when Japan denied them the gold.

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Four decades after that first triumph, India's 1-0 victory over China finally brought the gold back and, with it, a place at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Japan won the bronze medal after defeating South Korea 4-2 in a shoot-out in the third-place play-off.