The Indian women’s hockey team ended a 44-year wait for an Asian Games gold medal with a gritty 1-0 win against defending champions China in the final at Kakamigahara, Japan, on Friday. The title win in the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games also sealed India’s spot in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.Senior forward Lalremsiami’s reverse-stick strike in the 10th minute proved to be the difference between the two sides after India’s defence stood firm to protect their lead for 50 minutes in a high-pressure game. While veteran goalkeeper Savita Punia played her part by saving a penalty stroke in the second quarter, her young understudy Bichu Devi also made some crucial saves.”I always tell the girls that the basics are good defending, discipline and keeping on running,” India’s coach Sjoerd Marijne said. “You saw some players come off the pitch tired, and then the next one came, and the next one. That is how you win these matches,” he added.India’s previous gold medal came in the 1982 New Delhi Games, when women’s hockey was first introduced in the continental event. Since then, India have remained among the top-4, collecting two silver and four bronze medals. But they could not clear the final hurdle, suffering close defeats in the finals in 1998 and 2018.The team of 2026, though, was determined to change the colour of the medal. India made an aggressive start, trying to catch the higher-ranked China off guard. They were rewarded when Lalremsiami, playing in her 200th game for India, received a pass in the semicircle. In a flash, the 26-year-old unleashed a strike that sent the ball into the net.As the goal celebrations died down, India realised they still had a huge task in front of them. They had to keep the world No. 4 China, who had won the silver medal at the 2024 Olympics, from scoring with more than three quarters remaining.A year ago, that task would have seemed impossible. With the team stuck in a downward spiral after failing to qualify for the 2024 Olympics, India was hammered 4-1 by China in the final of the Asia Cup.A lot has changed since last September though, with Hockey India reappointing Marijne as the team’s coach in January. The return of the Dutchman, who had guided the team to a fourth-place finish in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, brought back belief among a set of players deflated by an unending string of losses.India’s revival was built on team unity. Just like he did in his previous stint, Marijne transformed the team into a close-knit unit working hard on defence. That defensive resilience helped India finish fifth at the recent World Cup. On Friday, the team proved its World Cup performance was not a fluke. As China came at India with all their might, the Salima Tete-led side refused to relent, fulfilling their goal of conquering Asia and returning to the Olympics.”I think one of the biggest changes has been discipline, and secondly, working for each other. I always say that if you focus on the team goal, you will achieve your individual goal,” Marijne said.