India’s women end 44-year wait for Asian Games hockey gold

India’s women have won Asian Games hockey gold after a 44-year wait, beating China 1-0 in the final at the 2026 Games. The result ended a sequence that stretched back to India’s previous Asian Games title in 1982. The earlier victory was achieved by Eliza Nelson’s team in New Delhi, while the latest triumph came against what the supplied material describes as a highly organised Chinese side.

Lalremsiami scored the goal that secured the final. Captain Savita Punia also made a decisive contribution by stopping a crucial stroke from He Jiangxin. The current Indian team went unbeaten throughout the tournament.

Its victory prompted an emotional response from Hareena Gill, the daughter of the late coach Balkrishan Singh, who guided the 1982 team. Gill recalled seeing her father’s players win gold and said she remembered embracing him after the earlier success. She described Balkrishan Singh as the “true father” of Indian women’s hockey and said he would have been proud of the latest achievement.

The two title-winning generations played in markedly different conditions. The 1982 matches were held on grass, while the modern game has faster play and more advanced equipment. The supplied material contrasts the older goalkeepers’ cane and cotton-stuffed pads with the lightweight protective systems used today.

Nelson said the present team had the facilities and infrastructure that were unavailable to her generation. She expressed hope of seeing the players at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and also wished for India’s men to qualify.