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As the Indian men's hockey team clinched the gold medal at the 2026 Asian Games after defeating Malaysia 5-1 in the final on Saturday, head coach Craig Fulton praised the team for achieving their goal of winning back-to-back Asian Games gold medals and creating a piece of Indian hockey history.
He said the team overcame the challenges following a difficult World Cup campaign, regrouped effectively before arriving in Japan, and maintained consistency throughout the seven-match tournament before producing a strong performance in the final. The Indian mens hockey team clinched the gold medal at the 2026 Asian Games after defeating Malaysia 5-1 in the final on Saturday, successfully defending their continental title. The triumph marked Indias 85th medal of the Games, taking its overall tally to 21 gold, 27 silver and 37 bronze medals. I think the objective was to go back-to-back and create our own piece of Indian hockey history, and the boys did really well throughout the tournament. It wasnt easy, especially coming off the back of the World Cup, where we had some tough moments. But we bounced back, had a great debrief and team-building session before arriving in Japan, and the proof was in the pudding. We were consistent across all seven games and played a very good final," Fulton told ANI after the final event. India also qualified for the LA Olympics 2028. India's men's hockey team created history by defending its Asian Games gold medal for the first time, securing consecutive titles in 2022 and 2026. The triumph also marked India's fifth men's hockey gold at the Asian Games, following its previous victories in 1966, 1998, 2014 and 2022. India defeated arch-rivals Pakistan 4-3 in a thrilling semi-final to enter the final of the men's hockey event at the Asian Games 2026 on Thursday to enter the title clash. Speaking about the clash, Fulton said the teams priority was to navigate a difficult semifinal against Pakistan. He acknowledged that India lost their way briefly in the second half but praised the players for maintaining their belief and finding a way to secure victory. It was more about getting through the semifinal. Semifinals are always difficult matches, and we started really well. In the second half, we lost our way a little bit, and Pakistan are the kind of team that can hurt you if you make mistakes. They did that. But good teams find a way to win, and we always find a way to beat them. I dont mean that disrespectfully, but we have the belief that we can beat them, and that belief showed," he added. (ANI)
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