India men’s hockey team reclaims Asian Games gold with resounding 5-1 win over defending champions Japan

Indian men’s hockey team reclaimed the coveted gold medal at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, five years after it faced a semi-final defeat.

As Harmanpreet Singh’s men crushed defending champions Japan 5-1 in the final on Friday. This was India’s fourth gold medal in men’s hockey and first since the 2014 edition in Incheon; India’s other gold medals came in 1966 and 1998, both times in Bangkok. Overall, India won its 22nd gold medal with the men’s hockey team’s victory over Japan.

Harmanpreet Singh (32nd, 59th minutes) scored a brace through penalty corners, Amit Rohidas (36th) also sounded the board from a set-piece, while Manpreet Singh (25th) and Abhishek (48th) found the net from field efforts to register the famous victory for India. Seren Tanaka converted a penalty corner for Japan in the 51st minute for their only goal of the match.

With the gold medal, India also secured a place in the next year’s Olympics in Paris.

India displayed an impeccable performance throughout the Asian Games, emerging victorious in all their matches. Their journey began in the Pool stage, where they commenced with a resounding 16-0 victory over Uzbekistan, followed by anothere commanding 16-1 win against Singapore. Their triumphs continued as they defeated Japan 4-2 before securing a significant win over arch-rivals Pakistan with a remarkable scoreline of 10-2.

Subsequently, India’s relentless pursuit of excellence continued with a convincing 12-0 triumph over Bangladesh, propelling them into the semi-finals. In a thrilling encounter against Korea, they emerged victorious with a 5-3 scoreline, securing their spot in the final.

Japan, meanwhile, also had an impressive record in the tournament with the 2-4 defeat against India being their only loss before the final.

Japan defeated Bangladesh 7-2 and then followed it up with a 10-1 win over Uzbekistan. After a 2-4 loss to India, Japan bounced back with a 16-0 win over Singapore and a 3-2 win over Pakistan to reach the semis. Japan defeated the hosts China 3-2 to secure a spot in the final.