India beat China 1-0 to win Asian Games women's hockey gold in Kakamigahara

India women's hockey team defeated defending champions China 1-0 in the Asian Games final in Kakamigahara, Japan on October 2, 2026. The victory gave India the tournament title.

India's only goal came from Lalremsiami, and the side combined attack and defence to close out the win. The result ends a long gap since India last won the women's hockey gold at the Asian Games.

Lalremsiami struck the match-winning effort with a tomahawk in the 10th minute, the decisive finish that separated the teams. The goal remained the lone score through the remainder of the contest.

After the goal, India defended resolutely and repeatedly repelled Chinese pressure. The defence included a penalty stroke save by veteran goalkeeper Savita Punia that kept the scoreline intact.

India's gold is only their second in Asian Games women's hockey; they first won in 1982 when the discipline made its debut at the Games. Since then they had finished runners-up twice, in 1998 and 2018, losing those finals to South Korea and Japan respectively.

Paris Olympics' silver medallist China settled for second place in the tournament. Japan claimed the bronze medal by defeating South Korea 4-2 in a shoot-out in the third-place play-off.

The Asian Games triumph also secured India a direct berth at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.