The Indian men’s hockey team, which brought laurels to the country by clinching the gold medal after defeating Malaysia 5-1 at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, has three players from Sonepat.It is a double bonanza for Sonepat in hockey at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, as both the Indian men’s and women’s teams not only clinched gold medals but also secured direct berths at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Four players—Neha, Jyoti, Sakshi Rana and Shilpi Dabas—in the women’s hockey team and three players—Sumit, Abhishek Nain and Yashdeep Siwach—in the men’s hockey team are from Sonepat.The family members of three members of Team India—Sumit, Abhishek Nain and Yashdeep Siwach of Sonepat—celebrated their victory by distributing sweets. Sumit and Yashdeep Siwach are defenders, while Abhishek Nain plays as a forward for Team India.Sat Narayan Nain, father of Abhishek, said it was a proud moment for the country that both the men’s and women’s hockey teams had not only won gold medals at the Asian Games but had also secured direct berths at the Olympic Games.“Abhishek called his mother, Surat Devi, just an hour before their match. He assured her that the team’s preparations were very strong and that they would win the gold medal. In the final match, Team India did it,” his father said.Not only Abhishek, but the entire team played very well in the final and won the match, he said.Ashish Nain, elder brother of Abhishek, said that everyone was happy with Team India’s victory as the team had given them double happiness by winning the gold medal and securing direct entry to the 2028 Olympics.Yashdeep Siwach inherited his hockey talent, as his mother, Kuldeep Siwach, and maternal grandmother, Dronacharya Awardee Pritam Siwach, were hockey players.Born in 2000, Yashdeep joined a hockey ground when he was in the ninth class. He learnt the basic techniques from his mother and coach, Pritam Siwach, at the ground in the industrial area of Sonepat.The junior hockey players at the ground in the industrial area watched the final match on a screen and celebrated the victory with their coach.“Both Kuldeep and I are not only the mother and father of Yashdeep, but also coaches of our son. He has been connected to the ground since childhood and played various games, including swimming and football, at the school level. But when he reached the ninth class, he started coming to the ground with me and began playing hockey. Later, his interest in hockey developed, and he started playing the sport dedicatedly,” she added.