Forty-four years of waiting ended in one reverse-stick strike

India's women ended a 44-year wait for Asian Games hockey gold on October 2, beating defending champions China 1-0 in a tense final at the Aichi-Nagoya Games. Lalremsiami — playing her 200th international — smashed the only goal home in the 10th minute; goalkeeper Savita Punia saved a penalty stroke and the defence held firm against sustained Chinese pressure. The triumph also books India a direct berth at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. It was India's second women's hockey gold ever, after 1982 in New Delhi.