PC: navarashtra
The Indian Youth Hockey team created history in the Men’s Under-18 Asia Cup 2026 tournament held in Japan. India won the gold medal by defeating host Japan 4-1 in the final match held at the Kawasaki Heavy Industries Hockey Stadium in Kakamigahara, Japan. India won the trophy for the third time. India’s star player Purti Ashish Tani played an important role in the victory by scoring a brilliant hat-trick in the final match. The Indian team, which played aggressively and disciplined throughout the tournament, proved its strength in Asian hockey by dominating the final match also.
Ashish Tani Purti’s hat-trick
The Indian team put pressure on Japan from the very beginning of the match. Ashish Tani Purti gave India a 1-0 lead by scoring a precise goal from the penalty corner in the second minute of the match. In the first quarter, the Indian defense foiled all the efforts of Japan. In the 28th minute, Ashish scored the second goal and increased the lead to 2-0. Then, just two minutes later, captain Ketan Kushwaha scored a brilliant field goal to give India a commanding 3-0 lead. India took complete control of the match in the second quarter. The aggressive play of the Indian team continued in the third quarter also. After being awarded another penalty corner in the 34th minute, Ashish Tani Purti scored to complete his impressive hat-trick. With this, India took a lead of 4-0 and the match almost went into India’s pocket. In the fourth quarter, Gaku Numada scored the only goal for Japan, but the hosts could not cope with India’s aggressive play. India eventually won 4–1 and lifted the Asia Cup.
Hockey India announced prizes
After a historic performance in the men’s Under-18 Asia Cup, Hockey India announced a reward of Rs 3 lakh for each player of the men’s team and Rs 1.5 lakh for each member of the support staff. Cash reward was also announced for the women’s under-18 team for winning the bronze medal. Hockey India announced a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh for each player of the Indian U-18 women’s hockey team and a cash prize of Rs 50,000 for the support staff.
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