Aichi-Nagoya: The Indian women’s hockey team delivered a historic performance on October 2, defeating reigning Asian champions China 1-0 to clinch gold and end a 44-year wait for an Asian Games medal in Aichi-Nagoya.
Ranked No. 8 in the world, India stunned World No. 4 China in a fiercely contested final, with Lalremsiami scoring the decisive goal in the 10th minute through a field goal.
The triumph marks India’s first women’s hockey medal at the Asian Games since 1982, when the team last stood on the podium.
𝗚𝗢𝗟𝗗𝗘𝗡 𝗠𝗢𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗦 𝗙𝗥𝗢𝗠 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗟! 🇮🇳🥇
The Indian Women’s Team defeated China 1-0 in the Asian Games 2026 final to secure their second Asian Games gold! 🏑🏆
Relive the celebrations, emotions and action from a historic night in our match album. 📸❤️… pic.twitter.com/3zUU4h0XV9
— Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) October 2, 2026
This is India’s 76th medal at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, with 16 golds, 25 silver medals and 35 bronze medals.
The gold medal also brings a significant reward for the Indian team, as the victory secures direct qualification for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Minister of Minority Affairs, Kiren Rijiju lauded the Indian Women’s hockey team for the historic win.
GOLDEN GLORY FOR BHARAT!
Congratulations to the Indian Women’s Hockey Team on winning the Gold Medal at the #AsianGames2026, 44 years after India’s last Asian Games Gold in women’s hockey!
A brilliant display of skill, determination & teamwork!
Well done, Champions!… pic.twitter.com/JdOFwrvD1N— Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) October 2, 2026
The achievement comes after a difficult Olympic cycle for the Indian women’s hockey team, which narrowly missed out on qualification for the Paris 2024 Olympics following its impressive fourth-place finish at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
India’s campaign was also highlighted by a prolific goalscoring effort. Deepika finished as the tournament’s top goalscorer with 21 goals, followed by teammate Navneet Kaur with 10 goals, while China’s Jiaqi Zhong scored nine.
After four decades of waiting, Indian women’s hockey has once again reached the top of Asia. (ANI)
