SportsPosted at: Oct 2 2026 6:17PM


India end 44-year wait, Savita’s heroics power India to Asian Games women’s hockey gold

Aichi-Nagoya, Oct 2 (UNI) Forty-four years is a long time to wait for a title, but India finally ended the drought on Friday, with goalkeeper Savita Punia standing tall as the women’s hockey team edged China 1-0 to reclaim the Asian Games gold and secure a direct berth at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.
Lalremsiami scored the decisive goal in the first quarter, marking her 200th international appearance in unforgettable fashion, before Savita and a resolute Indian defence turned the rest of the final into a lesson in patience and resistance.
What followed was less about elegance and more about survival.
China came at India in waves, but Savita, the "Wall of India", repeatedly stood between the defending champions and an equaliser. The Indian defence absorbed the pressure, cleared danger and refused to panic as China increasingly crowded the attacking circle.
The biggest scare came in the third quarter when China earned a penalty corner. The initial effort was saved, but a rebound resulted in a penalty stroke. India challenged the decision and won the referral, with the stroke overturned and China awarded another penalty corner. That opportunity too went begging.
There was another anxious moment when Salima Tete injured her hand while defending a penalty corner and had to leave the field for treatment. She returned before the final quarter, adding another dose of relief to the Indian camp.
The final minutes were played almost entirely on China's terms. With four minutes remaining, China pulled out their goalkeeper and threw an extra outfield player into attack.
India held their nerve.
And when the final hooter sounded, the 1-0 lead was still intact.
The gold ended India's 44-year wait for the Asian Games women's hockey title. Their only previous triumph had come in 1982, after which the team endured a succession of near misses, including silver medals in 1998 and 2018.
For Lalremsiami, it was a 200th-match goal. For Savita, it was another commanding performance between the posts. And for Indian women's hockey, it was the end of a wait that had lasted longer than many of the players on the pitch had been alive.
The champions of 1982 have finally returned to the top — and this time, the golden ticket to Los Angeles comes with it.
UNI BDN
Tags: #India end 44-year wait# Savita’s heroics power India to Asian Games women’s hockey gold
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