The Indian women's hockey team had to wait 44 years to win its second Asian Games gold medal. After finishing on top at the 1982 edition, India returned to the top of the podium at the 2026 Asian Games, securing direct qualification for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics in the process.
Veteran goalkeeper Savita Punia played a crucial role in the title-winning campaign, making a decisive save from a penalty stroke against China in the final, which helped India clinch the historic gold medal.
With Olympic qualification secured, the team's focus has now shifted to Los Angeles 2028.
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Speaking at the NDTV World Summit 2026 on Friday, Savita said that the Indian women's hockey team is now looking ahead to the Olympics, with the aim of turning its recent progress into an Olympic medal.
An Olympic medal remains a major milestone for the Indian women's hockey team, which has never finished on the podium at the Games. Its best results have been fourth-place finishes at the 1980 Moscow Olympics and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. India failed to qualify for the women's hockey competition at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
For Savita, the Asian Games gold was particularly special as she competed at the continental event for the fourth time in her career.
"I am a senior player, and I used to say that in 2014 Korea won gold, in 2018 Japan won gold, and in 2023 China won gold. This was my fourth Asian Games. This time, I wanted a gold medal. I have three medals, but a gold was missing. The team took that seriously. Everybody used to repeat what I said," she said.
"Our women's hockey team has been doing well for a while. We had been waiting for that elusive gold, and everyone worked hard for it. We know that we did well at the Tokyo Olympics, but returning without a medal after four years of hard work was tough to accept. When we return home after these events, we are often told that we could have done better. So, the players need the medals the most. This medal was crucial for us after we missed out on a Paris Olympics berth, having finished fourth in Tokyo," Savita added.
"This medal helped us secure direct qualification for Los Angeles 2028. We have many young athletes in the squad, and we wanted to ensure that they did not have to face the pressure of qualification," she concluded.
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Following a remarkable turnaround this season, the experienced goalkeeper believes an Olympic medal is within India's reach at the Los Angeles Games in 2028. The Asian Games triumph has given the team a significant boost as it begins preparing for the next major challenge in international hockey.
India will now look to build on its continental success and carry that momentum into the Olympic cycle, as the team pursues a maiden Olympic medal in women's hockey.
The women's team also secured the 5th place in the recently concluded FIH Hockey World cup after beating the higher-ranked German side in the 5/6 place match.
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