Kakamigahara, Oct 2 (IANS) India’s goalkeeper Bichu Devi Kharibam said the team’s hard work finally paid off after the women’s hockey team ended a 44-year wait for a gold medal in the Asian Games and secured direct qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics with a 1-0 victory over China in the final here on Friday.
India produced a disciplined defensive performance to protect Lalremsiami’s 10th-minute goal and reclaim the Asian Games women’s hockey title for the first time since 1982. Captain Savita Punia also made a crucial penalty-stroke save as China pushed hard for an equaliser.
“Yes, it’s a good thing that I got the gold medal. All the hard work that I have put in has paid off today. God is with us. There is a saying that goes, Work with your heart; God will make a way for you. All the hard work that we have put in has paid off today. God is with me,” Bichu Devi told IANS after the victory.
The Olympic qualification was a major target for the Indian team entering the Games, and Bichu said the players were united in their determination to book their place in Los Angeles.
“The best thing is that as a team we decided that we want to qualify for LA. We want to play in LA. We want to take hockey to the next level. As a team we were hungry for that. We were able to show that today. We qualified for LA. I am very happy,” she said.
India had topped Pool A with four wins from four matches before defeating Japan 7-2 in the semi-finals. They then held off defending champions China in a tense final to secure the gold medal and Olympic berth.
China began the final aggressively and enjoyed spells of pressure, but India remained composed after taking the lead. Bichu said staying calm and making the right decisions proved crucial against the world-ranked Chinese side.
“Yes, China has played very good hockey. In the first quarter, they were very aggressive. In their mind, they wanted to score a goal. So as a team, we decided to stay calm and make decisions which helped us win the match,” she said.
The victory completed another important chapter in Bichu’s journey, which began in Manipur with dreams of becoming a footballer.
Born on December 3, 2000, Bichu initially wanted to play football and dreamed of becoming a forward alongside her brothers.
Her breakthrough came in 2018 when she helped India’s junior team win a historic silver medal at the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires. She later won the Goalkeeper of the Tournament award at the 2019 Four-Nations Invitational in Ireland and helped India finish fourth at the 2021 Junior World Cup in South Africa.
Bichu made her senior international debut during the 2021-22 FIH Pro League and subsequently became an important part of India’s goalkeeping unit alongside veteran Savita Punia.
She has since been part of India’s gold-winning campaigns at the 2023 and 2024 Women’s Asian Champions Trophy, the 2026 FIH Nations Cup and the 2022 FIH Nations Cup, besides winning bronze at the 2022 Asian Games and silver at the 2025 Asia Cup.
After adding an Asian Games gold medal and Olympic qualification to her achievements, Bichu said she wanted to dedicate the triumph to those who had been part of her journey.
“First of all, I would like to dedicate it to my family. After that, I would like to dedicate it to my team. After that, I would like to dedicate it to India,” she said.
–IANS
sds/bsk/