Two great hockey rivalries will resume at the Champions Trophy. India and Pakistan men both have high hopes of a medal in Bhubaneswar, while the Japanese and Chinese women’s teams will be battling for honours in Mendoza.
The rivalries capture the imagination of the public like no other, and all four teams are playing for far more than points or an Olympic place. As Seung Jin Yoo, the coach of Japan says: “I always tell my players we must beat the other Asian teams. Defeating China will be our priority.”
For India men, this will be the chance to build on the gold medal they won at the Asian Games – in a scintillating match against Pakistan, which ended 1-1 in regulation time and then went to India in the shoot-out. Terry Walsh’s men, who are ranked ninth in the FIH World Rankings, will face heightened expectation from the army of supporters, who will want to see an Indian victory on home soil.
Their Asian rivals, 11th-ranked Pakistan, see the Champions Trophy as a chance to re-establish their reputation on the world stage after they missed out on qualification for the 2014 World Cup. Pakistan has a strong record in the Champions Trophy – bronze in 2012, and they have won the title three times and collected silver six times.
Both teams have prepared well. India won silver at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, losing 4-0 to Australia in the gold medal match but beating New Zealand and South Africa on the way to the Final. Although India came away with gold in Incheon, it was Pakistan who beat India 2-1 in a group match, putting in a performance that the India coach, Terry Walsh, admired for its “passion”, “liveliness” and “excitement”.
Players to watch at the Champions Trophy include Pakistan’s Muhammad Waqas, who has proved himself a hot-shot in front of goal and penalty corner specialist Imran Mohammed; while for India Nikkin Thimmaiah is growing in confidence with each game and Sreejesh Ravindran is masterful in goal. India also has captain Sardar Singh who will continue to play ringmaster for the talented India team.
China women, currently ranked fifth in the FIH world rankings, cruised into the Asian Games Final, beating Japan on the way, before losing 1-0 to Korea. After the Final, coach You Baodong said their finishing in front of goal is a problem that must be fixed in the next two months. There is no doubt that China will pose a threat; their defence is staunch and with every campaign their young team is growing in experience. Among the more experienced players in the squad, Zhao Yudiao and Liang Meiyu will be two players to watch in Mendoza.
For Japan, the Asian Games at Incheon, was a disappointing experience. The Cherry Blossoms, who are currently ranked 10th, lost 2-1 to India in the bronze medal match at the Asia Games. This, combined with a relatively poor showing at the Rabobank Hockey World Cup where they finished 10th. Coach Seung Jin Yoo, however, has plans to address the issues.
“After this tournament, we will have a selection camp in Hiroshima, where we will be selecting new faces for the squad to start preparing for Rio and Tokyo. So after this event, this team will be finished, and we start a new build-up. There could be five or six new faces in the team that appears in Mendoza. We will be trying to play above our ranking.”
In Mendoza, Jon Yoo is expecting his captain, Ono Mayumi, to lead the Japanese challenge. The 30-year-old is a natural leader and has a lot of international experience.
India men might have already qualified for Rio, but they would love to add a third medal to this year’s trophy haul, while the other Asian teams at this year’s Champions Trophy will be hoping that they can turn Eastern promise to gold medals.
