Hockey
Indian women's team wins Hockey 5s Asia Cup
Indian women's hockey team defeated Thailand to win the title of Hockey 5s Asia Cup and qualified for the World Cup.
Indian women's hockey team defeated Thailand in the final to win the title of Hockey5s Asia Cup on Monday, which also serves as the Asian qualifying tournament for the Women's Hockey 5s World Cup 2024.
India thrashed Thailand 7-2 and also booked their berth for the FIH Women Hockey 5s World Cup to be held in Oman.
For India, Mariana Kujur (2’, 8’), Monika Dipi Toppo (7’), Jyoti (10’, 27’), Navjot Kaur (23’), and Mahima Choudhary (29’) were on target. For Thailand, Kunjira Inpa (5’) and Sanpoung Kornkanok (5’) were on target.
India made an aggressive start in the opening minutes of the first half as Mariana Kujur (2’) gave India the lead scoring an excellent field goal. However, Thailand scored two goals in quick succession through Kunjira Inpa (5’) and Sanpoung Kornkanok (5’) to put India on the back foot.
India responded immediately through the in-form Monika Dipi Toppo (7’) as she made a brilliant penetration and scored a fine field goal to level the scores. India then took the lead through Mariana Kujur’s strike (8’). With four minutes remaining in the first half, Jyoti (10’) extended India’s lead to 4-2. At the end of the first half, India was leading Thailand by 4-2.
At the start of the second half, a charged-up India continued to play with pace and precision, testing Thailand’s defense constantly. Their efforts paid off as Captain Navjot Kaur (23’) added a fifth goal to the tally. With three minutes remaining, Jyoti pumped in another goal to make it 6-2 and then Mahima Choudhary made it 7-2. The match finished with the Indian Women’s Hockey Team winning 7-2.
For their triumph and excellent performance, Hockey India announced Rs 2 Lakh to each player of the team, while Rs 1 Lakh each for the support staff.
Congratulating the team on qualifying for the FIH Women Hockey 5s World Cup Oman 2024, Hockey India President Dilip Tirkey said, “I congratulate the Indian Women’s Hockey Team for an excellent outing and qualifying for the FIH Women Hockey 5s World Cup Oman 2024. This was a brilliant team effort by everyone involved and I wish the team the best of luck for the FIH Women Hockey 5s World Cup Oman 2024.”
The men's team will begin their campaign today for the quest of Men's Hockey 5s World Cup qualification.