Nagoya: India retained the Asian Games men’s hockey gold medal with a commanding 5-1 victory over Malaysia in the final on Saturday, securing back-to-back titles and a place at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. The triumph also marked a historic campaign for Indian hockey, with both the men’s and women’s teams winning gold at the same Games for the first time.
Harmanpreet Singh scored twice, while Jugraj Singh, Hardik Singh and Shilanand Lakra netted one goal each to seal India’s victory. The women’s team had clinched gold on Friday, while Pakistan defeated South Korea to claim bronze in the men’s event.
India held a 3-1 lead heading into the final quarter and maintained control despite Malaysia’s efforts to fight back. Shilanand Lakra extended the lead to 4-1 with six minutes remaining, converting a pass from Abhishek, who had driven down the right baseline.
India continued to press and earned another penalty corner with less than four minutes left. Harmanpreet converted the opportunity with a powerful flick into the top-left corner, completing his brace and sealing the 5-1 win.
Earlier, Hardik had converted a penalty stroke after a penalty-corner sequence, with the decision upheld following a Malaysian referral. India’s attacking pressure, disciplined defence and effective penalty-corner execution proved decisive.
Goalkeeper Suraj Karkera returned in the fourth quarter after Mohit had featured earlier, as India kept Malaysia from narrowing the margin.
Modi hails historic hockey achievement
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the Indian men’s hockey team on retaining the gold medal, describing the campaign as exceptional. In a post on X, he noted that India had won back-to-back Asian Games gold medals for the first time and secured its fifth gold overall.
Modi said the achievement was especially significant as both the men’s and women’s teams had won gold at the same Asian Games for the first time. He added that Indian hockey had demonstrated its strength on the Asian stage.
The victory not only reinforces India’s position in Asian hockey but also secures the team’s qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
