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India's men’s hockey team is the most successful sporting team in the history of the Olympics, winning a whopping eight gold medals, along with three silvers and one bronze. The Harmanpreet Singh-led team made it to the Paris 2024 after winning the Asian Games gold medal without an unbeaten run in Hangzhou last year.
In the group stages of the Asian Games 2022, India defeated Japan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Uzbekistan, and Singapore, scoring 58 goals while conceding only five in the men’s hockey competition at the Gongshu Canal Sports Park Field Hockey Field. The semi-final was yet another goal-fest for India, who got the better of South Korea by 5-3, to reach the final.
The gold medal match in Hangzhou was a one-sided affair wherein the Indian men’s hockey team defeated Japan 5-1, to take home the silverware while earning a spot at the Paris 2024. During the preparation for the Asian Games 2022, India took part in the Asian Champions Trophy in Chennai last year, which was yet another successful tournament campaign for them.
After topping the round-robin stage with four wins against Malaysia, South Korea, Pakistan, and China, apart from a draw against Japan, the Indian men’s hockey team made the semi-final of the Asian Champions Trophy. They earned a place in the final with a 5-0 win against Japan before defeating Malaysia by 4-3 in a thrilling final to take home the coveted trophy.
In the past six months or so, the Indian men’s hockey team has had mixed results in the FIH Pro League. They finished the nine-team tournament in seventh place with 24 points in 16 matches, one behind Germany and Belgium.
Although India ended up in the bottom half of the FIH Pro League points table, they are not far off from some of the top teams in the world of hockey in terms of playing standards. With that, they are expected to perform reasonably well in the Paris 2024 men’s hockey competition, with a potential finish in the medals position.
