Indian Women’s Team Finishes Youth Hockey5s Asian Championship with a Silver Medal

The Indian women’s hockey team finished as runners-up in the Youth Hockey5s Asian Championship in Muscat, losing 2-4 to China in the final.

India secured their place in the championship match with a commanding 8-1 win over Kazakhstan in the semifinals.

China took an early lead in the final with a goal from Tongtong Lu in the first minute, and Kexin Tang extended their lead in the fifth minute before Jiaxin Guo made it 3-0 just a minute later.
After halftime, India struck back as Nousheen Naz scored in the 13th minute, narrowing the gap.

 

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However, Chen Ge restored China’s three-goal advantage in the 19th minute.

Pushpa Manjhi added a goal in the 20th minute for India, giving them a glimmer of hope, but China maintained their dominant performance to clinch the title.

In the semifinal, Sandeepa Kumari opened the scoring in the fifth minute, followed by Pushpa Manjhi, who netted in the sixth and added two more goals in the eighth, putting India firmly in command.

Kazakhstan managed a goal from Ayanat Mazhim in the 10th minute, but India remained in control throughout the match.

Skipper Diya scored twice in the 13th and 16th minutes, with Shruti Kumari also scoring in the 16th minute. Nousheen Naz finished the scoring in the 20th minute, leading India to a decisive 8-1 victory and securing their place in the final.

Hockey India announced a cash prize of ₹1 lakh for each player and ₹50,000 for the support staff.

India has also qualified for the FIH Youth Hockey5s World Cup, thanks to their impressive performance.