India defended their men’s hockey gold at the Asian Games on Saturday, thrashing Malaysia 5-1 in the final to win back-to-back titles for the first time and secure direct qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
The victory gave the reigning Olympic bronze medallists their fifth Asian Games gold and added another milestone to the record of eight-time Olympic champions. Malaysia took silver, while Pakistan secured bronze after beating South Korea 5-3 earlier in the day.
