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

Lalremsiami scored the winner and Savita Punia made a key penalty-stroke save as India secured direct qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

  • On Friday, October 2, 2026, the Indian women's hockey team defeated defending champions China 1-0 in the Asian Games 2026 final in Aichi-Nagoya, ending a 44-year wait for continental gold.
  • India previously won gold only once during the sport's 1982 Asian Games debut in New Delhi, then finished runners-up in 1998 and 2018, narrowly missing the continental title until now.
  • Forward Lalremsiami Hmarzote scored the decisive goal with a 10th-minute tomahawk, while veteran goalkeeper Savita Punia stopped a critical second-quarter penalty stroke from China's Zhang Ying.
  • The gold medal victory secures India a direct qualification spot for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, marking a significant return after the side missed the 2024 Paris Olympics.
  • Hockey India President Dilip Tirkey and Secretary General Bhola Nath Singh announced cash rewards for players and support staff, celebrating the historic continental triumph.
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The Hindu broke the news in Chennai, India on Friday, October 2, 2026.
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