Asian Games 2026: India retain men’s hockey gold, defeat Malaysia

NAGOYA, Japan, 3 Oct: India made hockey history on October 3, becoming the first men’s team to successfully defend the Asian Games title with a commanding 5-1 victory over Malaysia in the final at the Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium.

The victory gave India its fifth Asian Games men’s hockey gold, after earlier triumphs in 1966, 1998, 2014 and 2023, and marked the country’s first back-to-back titles in the competition.

“We are happy with India’s overall medal position among the participating nations, even though the number of medals has fallen short of the last Asian Games,” said an official of a sports association affiliated to the Indian Olympic Association.

The final was closely contested in the opening phase. Captain Harmanpreet Singh opened the scoring from a penalty corner before Malaysia equalised. Jugraj Singh restored India’s lead before half-time.

India then took firm control. Hardik Singh converted a penalty stroke in the third quarter, while Shilanand Lakra and Harmanpreet added two more goals in the final quarter to seal the 5-1 win.

The title also earned India a direct qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, avoiding the Olympic qualification tournament route.

India had reached the final after a thrilling 4-3 win over Pakistan in the semi-final, while Malaysia defeated South Korea 2-1.

The men’s triumph added another landmark to Indian hockey’s campaign in Aichi-Nagoya. For the first time at an Asian Games, India’s men’s and women’s teams won hockey gold at the same edition.

The women’s team defeated China 1-0 on Friday to end a 44-year wait for the Asian Games title and also secure direct qualification for the 2028 Olympics.

The men’s hockey gold came a day before the closing ceremony and capped a significant day for Indian sport, with the men’s cricket team also winning gold earlier on Saturday.

India’s overall medal tally, however, remained below its haul at the previous Asian Games in Hangzhou.