Kakamigahara: India’s men’s hockey team created history on Saturday by defeating Malaysia 5-1 in the final to win the gold medal at the 2026 Asian Games and successfully defend their continental title.
The victory also secured India a direct qualification berth for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. India had entered the final as the defending champions after winning gold at the 2022 Asian Games.
Harmanpreet leads India to dominant victory
India took the lead through captain Harmanpreet Singh, who converted a penalty corner. Malaysia quickly equalised, but India regained control before half-time through Jugraj Singh, who scored from a penalty corner to make it 2-1.
India extended their advantage in the third quarter when Hardik Singh converted a penalty stroke to make it 3-1.
The Indian team continued to dominate in the final quarter, with Shilanand Lakra scoring to make it 4-1 before Harmanpreet Singh added another goal from a penalty corner to complete the 5-1 victory.
India defend Asian Games title for first time
The gold marks India’s fifth men’s hockey gold medal at the Asian Games and the first time the Indian men’s team has successfully defended its Asian Games hockey title. Previous gold-medal victories came in 1966, 1998, 2014 and 2022.
India had reached the final after a dramatic 4-3 semifinal victory over Pakistan, while Malaysia defeated South Korea 2-1 in its semifinal.
Direct ticket to LA 2028 Olympics
The Asian Games hockey champions earn direct qualification for the Olympic Games, meaning India have secured their place at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics without having to go through the FIH Olympic Qualification Tournaments.
The achievement also means that, for the first time, both India’s men’s and women’s hockey teams have won Asian Games gold at the same edition. The women’s team had earlier defeated China 1-0 to win its first Asian Games gold in 44 years and qualify for LA28.