India Reclaim Asian Games Hockey Gold With 5-1 Drubbing Of Japan, Qualify For Paris Olympics

06.10.2023 - 13:09 sports.ndtv.com

Skipper Harmanpreet Singh led admirably as the Indian men's hockey team mauled defending champions Japan 5-1 to reclaim the Asian Games gold, their fourth in the continental showpiece, after nine years and qualify for next year's Paris Olympics on Friday.

The Indians, who had to be content with a bronze medal in the last edition in Jakarta, thus won their fourth Asian Games gold and first since the 2014 Incheon edition.

India's other gold medals came in 1966 and 1998, both times in Bangkok. South Korea won the bronze medal after eking out a close 2-1 win over hosts China.

Harmanpreet (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.

hockey asian games 2023 Asian Games Medals Tally 1 Paris Olympics Manpreet Singh Harmanpreet Singh Mandeep Singh China Japan India South Korea

Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com.

From 1951 To 2023: India's Medal Tally In Asian Games Over The Years

Indian athletes touched the magical figure of 107 medals at the Asian Games with their blood, sweat and toil over the last fortnight to give the country an early Diwali gift, and a promise of a best-ever harvest at the 2024 Paris Olympics. With India concluding its engagements at the continental showpiece on Saturday as no athlete from the country is in the fray in a couple of events scheduled on the final day of competition on Sunday, the tally of 107 will remain etched in the collective memory of the nation until the athletes decide to reset it in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan in 2026. India's final tally in Hangzhou stood at 28 gold, 38 silver and 41 bronze, a quantum leap from the 70 medals the contingent bagged at Jakarta in 2018. The tally had touched the 95-medal mark on Friday with a few assured medals on Saturday. But, surprisingly, the athletes bagged 12 medals on the last day of their campaign, clinching six gold, four silver and two bronze.

Asian Games put Saudi team on track ahead of Paris Olympics

HANGZHOU: The performance of young Saudi athletes at this year’s Asian Games so far has shown the world the support they receive from their country and sparked expectations of even better performances in upcoming international events.

From 1951 To 2023: India's Medal Tally In Asian Games Over The Years

Asian Games 2023: Indian Men's Hockey Team Storms Into Final, Defeats South Korea 5-3

Continuing its dominating performance, India men's hockey team defeated South Korea 5-3 in the semi-final to set up a summit clash at the Asian Games. Hardik Singh (5'), Mandeep Singh (11'), Lalit Kumar Upadhyay (15'), Amit Rohidas (24') and Abhishek (54') scored to guide the Indian men's hockey team to the final. Jung Manjae (17', 20', 42') scored a hat-trick for South Korea. The Indian men's hockey team will face the winner of the other semi-final match between China and Japan in the gold medal match on Friday.

Asian Games: Manju Rani, Ram Baboo Win 35km Race Walk Mixed Team Bronze

Indian race walkers Manju Rani and Ram Baboo won the bronze medal in the inaugural 35km mixed team event at the Asian Games on Wednesday. Rani and Baboo -- both national record holders in women's and men's events -- clocked a combined time of 5 hours 51 minutes and 14 seconds to finish third behind China (5:16:41) and Japan (5:22:11). In the 35km race walk mixed team event, the times (results) of the male and female athletes, who finished the race, are added in order to determine the medal winners.