The Indian women’s hockey team scripted a memorable chapter at the Asian Games 2026, defeating China 1-0 in the gold medal match to reclaim the top spot in Asia. The triumph ended a 44-year wait for the Indian women’s side, who last won the Asian Games gold medal in 1982 when the event was hosted in Delhi.
India’s victory also secured the team a quota for the LA28 Olympics. After emerging as Asia’s best side, the Indian team will now look to build on this success and challenge for greater honours on the global stage.
The gold medal also completed a remarkable redemption story for India. At the previous Asian Games, the team’s hopes of qualifying for the Paris 2024 Olympics were ended by China in the semi-final. This time, India came out on top against the same opponents when it mattered most.
Lalremsiami Hmarzot scored the decisive goal in the first quarter to give India the lead. From there, the Indian defence produced a disciplined performance, successfully keeping China’s attacking threat at bay across the remaining three quarters to secure a historic gold medal.