Lalremsiami strikes, China fall as India end 44-year wait for Asian Games Gold

AICHI-NAGOYA: India ended a 44-year wait for the Asian Games women's hockey gold with a 1-0 victory over China in the final at Aichi-Nagoya on Friday. Lalremsiami's 10th-minute strike proved decisive as India also secured qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

The decisive moment came early in the game. Lalremsiami, playing her 200th senior international match, produced a powerful reverse-hit finish in the 10th minute to put India ahead. From there, India had to spend much of the match defending their narrow advantage.

China pushed hard for an equaliser, particularly in the second and third quarters, but India held their shape under sustained pressure. Savita Punia produced one of the biggest moments of the final when she kept out a Chinese penalty stroke, preserving India's lead.

China continued to search for a way through as the match wore on, but India's defence refused to give them the opening they needed. The final whistle confirmed India's first Asian Games women's hockey gold since 1982.

India had finished runners-up in 1998 and 2018, coming close to the title again before finally ending the wait in Nagoya.
The gold is India's second in women's hockey at the Asian Games. It was also India's sixth gold medal of the day, taking the country's gold tally at the Games to 16. India moved to fifth in the medal table with 76 medals — 16 gold, 25 silver and 35 bronze — at that stage of the competition.