Women too to battle for bronze

Indian men’s team defeated Germany 5-4 in the bronze medal match at Tokyo today to end a 41-year wait for an Olympic medal in hockey.

The last time India had won a medal in hockey was at the 1980 Moscow Games where they got the gold. On Thursday, India brought an end to the medal jinx, getting the better of the Germans in a thrilling comeback win. Simranjeet Singh scored a brace while Hardik Singh, Harmanpreet Singh and Rupinder Pal Singh also got their names on the scoresheet for India.

Meanwhile, India women’s hockey team lost 1-2 to Argentina in the semi-final match yesterday. Gurjit Kaur gave India the lead early in the match by converting a penalty corner. Argentina hit back in the second quarter as their captain Noel Barrionuevo scored the equaliser. The Argentine skipper scored again in the third quarter to make put India behind.

Argentina will now take on Netherlands in the gold medal match while India will be up against Great Britain in the bronze medal clash. Bronze match is scheduled for tomorrow (Aug. 6) at 7 am (IST).