C’wealth Games: Men’s hockey team target 1st medal, women’s team 2nd gold

India’s two hockey teams — men’s and women’s — have fared contrastingly at the Commonwealth Games so far but they will go into Delhi edition with a common goal — to emerge as champions before the home crowd.

The men’s team has never won a medal ever since hockey became a CWG discipline in 1998 while women’s team has done way better than their male counterparts — having already won a gold and silver in the last two editions respectively.

The men’s team is eager to end its medal jinx and the women’s team want to win back the title it surrendered in the Melbourne edition in 2006.

Both the team have poor World Cup results this year but are determined to do well at the Games before the home crowd.

The men’s team finished a disappointing eighth out of 12 teams in the World Cup held earlier this year at the Major Dhyan Chand National stadium, the venue for CWG hockey event.

Despite boasting eight Olympic gold, India has not won a single medal in the Games since hockey’s introduction in the quadrennial event during the 1998 Kuala Lumpur edition.

Indian men’s team finished fourth in Malaysia, did not take part in 2002 edition in Manchester and ended on a disappointing sixth spot, behind Malaysia and New Zealand in Melbourne in 2006.

Going by the current form, fetching a medal would not be easy for the Indians this time too as they are clubbed alongside world champions Australia and arch-rivals Pakistan in Pool A.

A positive result in the Delhi Games would not only do wonders for Indian hockey’s sagging fortunes but would also act a morale booster for the team ahead of the Asian Games in Guangzhou, China in November.

Having underwent rigorous training at the Balewadi Sports Complex in Pune for the last six months this time around the team is better prepared and national coach Harendra Singh sounded optimistic about the team’s chances.

“Our preparations for the Commonwealth Games are much different from the World Cup. We have worked on specific shortcomings which came to light during the World Cup, like conceding soft goals,” Harendra told PTI from Pune.

“We are confident that this time we have the potential to earn a medal in the Commonwealth Games which has been eluding us for so many years,” he said.