Kakamigahara [Japan], October 1 (ANI): Forty-four years after Indian girls’s hockey created historical past by profitable the Asian Games gold medal in 1982, the Indian workforce stands on the brink of one other golden chapter.
On Friday, India will tackle defending champions China within the girls’s hockey gold-medal match on the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026, with not simply continental supremacy however a spot on the LA 2028 Olympic Games at stake.
Since that memorable triumph in 1982, India have twice come near reclaiming the Asian Games title. They reached the ultimate in 1998 and 2018, solely to return with silver medals after defeats to South Korea and Japan, respectively. Now, a brand new era has the chance to finish that lengthy wait and reclaim the highest spot for India on the Asian Games podium, as per a Hockey India press launch.Â
The workforce’s confidence comes from a outstanding run in 2026. India lifted the FIH Nations Cup earlier this yr after which produced their best-ever end at an FIH World Cup in 52 years, securing fifth place on the 2026 version in Belgium and the Netherlands. The World Cup marketing campaign additionally offered an necessary reference level for this Asian Games last: India held world No. 4 China to a goalless attract Amsterdam.
That outcome will supply encouragement as the 2 unbeaten sides put together for his or her decisive conflict in Kakamigahara. Both groups topped their respective swimming pools with excellent data earlier than being pushed exhausting within the semi-finals.
China had been unable to discover a breakthrough in opposition to hosts Japan throughout regulation time within the first semi-final, with the competition ending 0-0 after 60 minutes. However, the defending champions held their nerve within the shootout, prevailing 4-2 to e-book their place within the last.
India additionally confronted a stern examination in opposition to South Korea, who stored Indian attackers at bay for a lot of the competition, however Ishika lastly broke the impasse late within the third quarter. Captain Salima Tete then added a second objective within the fourth quarter to seal India’s place within the gold-medal match.
“For us it was really important to stay calm and have patience, and I think we did that really well,” stated India’s Chief Coach, Sjoerd Marijne, on the robust semi-final win over South Korea.
About the ultimate in opposition to China, Marijne stated: “We have confidence, but we also realize that China is a very good team. They are still number four in the world. We did really well at the World Cup, better than them, but still they have a lot of experience…Some things we can improve (from the semi-final performance) and that’s how we approach the final against China.”
India’s marketing campaign has been constructed on a mixture of defensive resilience and attacking selection. Goalkeepers Savita and Bichu Devi have offered a powerful final line of defence. At the opposite finish, India have demonstrated their capacity to attain via each penalty corners and open play. Deepika has been the standout scorer, main the match charts with 21 targets in six matches, together with 19 from penalty corners. Navneet follows with 10 targets, seven of which have come from discipline play.
China too possess appreciable firepower, with Zhong Jiaqi main her workforce’s scoring charts with 9 targets, whereas Chen Yi and Zhang Ying have contributed seven every.
Yet, the ultimate presents a unique problem. With the Asian Games gold medal additionally securing qualification for the Olympics, the stakes might hardly be larger. The gold-medal match could in the end rely on which workforce can channel the event, take in the strain and execute in the course of the decisive moments.
After 44 years of ready, India are one match away from creating historical past. (ANI)