India’s men beat Malaysia to secure Asian Games hockey double
India defeated Malaysia 5-1 to retain the men’s Asian Games hockey title, one day after the women’s team won gold. The victories created India’s first men’s and women’s hockey gold-medal double at the same Games and earned the men direct qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
India’s men retained their Asian Games hockey title with a 5-1 victory over Malaysia, completing an unprecedented gold-medal double for the country’s men’s and women’s teams at the same Games. Captain Harmanpreet Singh opened the scoring from a penalty corner in the 11th minute. Malaysia equalised three minutes later through Shelly Silverius, but India regained the lead when Jugraj Singh converted another penalty corner in the 23rd minute.
India led 2-1 at half-time and extended its advantage in the second half. Vice-captain Hardik Singh scored from a penalty stroke in the 42nd minute before Shilanand Lakra made it 4-1 in the 54th minute. Harmanpreet completed the scoring with another penalty-corner conversion in the 57th minute.
Malaysia finished with silver, while Pakistan took bronze after defeating South Korea earlier in the day. The men’s victory followed the women’s 1-0 win over China on Friday, which ended a 44-year wait for the women’s Asian Games hockey title. Together, the results marked the first time India’s two hockey teams had won gold at the same Games.
The men’s title was India’s fifth in Asian Games hockey, following victories in 1966, 1998, 2014 and 2022. It was also the first successful defence of the men’s Asian Games title, after India’s victory in Hangzhou in 2022. The result secured India’s direct qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
The supplied report said the achievement gave Indian hockey a platform to pursue further success beyond Asia, but did not detail any specific future plans.
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