Asian Games 2026: India defend men's hockey gold with 5-1 win over Malaysia, qualify for LA Olympics

India defended the gold medal in mens hockey after a strong 41 win over Malaysia in the Asian Games 2026 final at the Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium in Kakamigahara on SaturdayHarmanpreet Singh scored a brace while Jugraj Singh Hardik Singh and Shilanand Lakra also found the back of the net for India as the Men in Blue celebrated their firstever gold defence at the Asian Games Meanwhile India have also clinched a direct berth for the Los Angeles Olympics with this winHarmanpreet Singhs team came into the final without breaking a sweat They topped their group stage with five wins in five matches The Men in Blue defeated archrivals Pakistan in the semifinal by 43 That game tested India as Pakistan levelled from 03 down to 33 However Abhishek nailed a strike in the final minute to take India homeMeanwhile this is also the first time that India men and women have both won the gold medal at the same edition of the Asian Games The womens team won the yellow metal in the final after defeating Paris Olympics silver medallists China in the gold clashIndia men began the gold medal clash with strong intent as they made circle entries in the first quarter and then found the opening through captain Harmanpreet when he fired a dragflick on a penalty corner to put India 10 up in the 11th minuteMalaysia however responded as they levelled things back a few minutes later with Shello Silverius smashing a brilliant goal from the left flank as Indian goalkeeper Suraj Karkera was blindsided by a layer of players in front of him The two teams were 11 at the end of the first quarterMalaysia attacked more in the second half as they secured a few penalty corners and tested the Indian defence India later earned a PC and Jugraj put India ahead in the 23rd minute giving India a 21 lead at the end of the first halfIndia began the second half with strong possession and also kept putting pressure on the Malaysians They earned a couple of penalty corners and then a penalty stroke when the ball hit the body of the Malaysian post defender Hardik turned up and scored from the spot for a 31 India lead at the end of the third quarterIndia kept Malaysia in check with a counterattack and then Sanjay found Rajinder in the circle but his shot went wide India found their fourth goal in the 54th minute when Shilanand put one into the goal after a deflection to make it 41 for India Captain Harmanpreet then got his brace when he converted a penalty corner for a 51 lead which the Men in Blue held for a huge winThis is the fifth time that India have won a gold medal in the Asian Games bagging the top spot on the podium in 1966 1998 2014 2022 and 2026 The Indian mens hockey team finished runnersup on nine occasions in 1958 1962 1970 1974 1978 1982 1990 1994 and i002 The country has claimed bronze medals in 1986 2010 and 2018This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever