India completed an unprecedented golden sweep in hockey as the men’s team defended its Asian Games title a day after the women ended a 44-year wait for their second gold in the continental event.Led by their talismanic captain Harmanpreet Singh, who scored his second successive brace, India outclassed Malaysia 5-1 in the final in Kakamigahara on Saturday to join the women’s team in ensuring early qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.This is the first time that the hockey teams have completed a golden double in the Asian Games, having earlier come close in 1982, when the men lost in the final, and in 1998, when the women fell agonisingly short in the gold medal match.This is also the first time that the men’s team has defended its title, with Harmanpreet captaining the side on both occasions.Former captain Manpreet Singh became the most decorated Indian player at the Asian Games with three gold medals. The most-capped Indian player has been a key component in the team’s revival in world hockey, having won two successive Olympics bronze medals.That resurgence has also brought India unprecedented success at the continental level, with the team enjoying its most dominant phase in the Asian Games. With their third gold medal in four editions, India took their total tally to five, becoming the second-most successful team behind Pakistan (eight titles).India’s recent rise coupled with the decline of their continental rivals means that the Asian Games gold medal is seen as a foregone conclusion even before the start of the tournament. That brings added pressure. Despite being the highest-ranked team in the tournament, there is always the possibility of a slip-up. The shock loss to Malaysia in the 2018 semifinals was a prime example of one bad day ruining an otherwise successful campaign.India’s recent dip in form also raised doubts about the team’s ability to defend its title. They finished second-last in the nine-team Pro League and eighth at the World Cup earlier this year.Just two years after winning the Paris Olympics bronze medal, India seemed to be stuck in a rut, unable to string together victories. But they faced no such issues in the pool stage in Japan, scoring 49 goals in five one-sided wins.As expected, though, they had a major hiccup in the semifinal, and needed a last-minute winner to get past Pakistan despite leading 3-0 at one stage. That match came as a wake-up call. And just like their win in the gold medal match in the previous edition, a 5-1 win over Japan, India ensured there was no drama in the final against Malaysia.Harmanpreet opened with a penalty corner execution in the 11th minute. Despite conceding an equaliser three minutes later, India regained control over the match. They dominated possession and earned 14 penalty corners. Most importantly, India struck at regular intervals, through Jugraj Singh (23rd minute), Hardik Singh (42nd), Shilanand Lakra (54th) and Harmanpreet (57th), to kill the contest and defend their title with a comprehensive win.“We played a great game. We almost needed that semifinal (win) to get into this mindset,” India coach Craig Fulton said. “This game was good because we really debriefed honestly after the semifinal. We just had to focus on ourselves and our basic game plan. Suddenly, it started to click and off, we went again. So it was great,” he added.“That was the main goal of 2026. Obviously, the World Cup didn’t go the way we wanted it to. I’m glad we dominated in Asia and this was important for us,” he added.