Ranchi, November 5: The Indian women's hockey team continued their winning streak and clinched the gold medal in the Jharkhand Women's Asian Champions Trophy Ranchi 2023, securing their second consecutive title in the competition. The host team defeated Japan 4-0 in the final match held at the Marang Gomke Jaypal Singh Mundha AstroTurf Hockey Stadium here.
In the gold medal match, the Indian team took a 1-0 lead by halftime, with Sangita Kumari scoring a field goal in the 17th minute. The host team continued their dominant performance in the second half, adding three more goals. Neha scored the second goal in the 46th minute, Lalremsiami scored the third goal in the 57th minute, and Vandana Katariya scored the fourth and final goal in the 60th minute.
In this edition of the tournament, India won all seven matches they played, securing a flawless victory. Sangita Kumari emerged as the top scorer for India, netting a total of six goals throughout the tournament. China's Jiaqi Zhong was the top scorer overall, scoring seven goals.
Following their gold medal victory, each player of the Indian team will receive a cash prize of three lakh rupees, and each support staff member will be awarded 1.5 lakh rupees.
In the bronze medal match, China defeated Korea 2-1 to secure the third position. Yi Chen scored the third-place goal for China, while Tiyantaiyan Lou scored in the 47th minute. For Korea, Sujin An scored the lone goal in the 38th minute. Malaysia finished in the fourth position, and Thailand had to settle for the sixth position.
The tournament featured a total of six teams, including hosts India, along with China, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, and Thailand. After the round-robin league stage, the top four teams qualified for the semifinals. India had previously won the title in 2016 and secured silver medals in 2013 and 2018.
