India’s hockey team has a rich history of Olympics and skiing the badge of the most successful team in that particular sport. They hold eight gold medals, which points to the wonderful talent in this country and the huge passion for the game of hockey.
The journey started way back in 1928, to be precise in the Amsterdam Olympics. Spearheaded by captain Jaipal Singh and the very skilled Dhyan Chands who got 14 goals, India clinched the Olympic gold and made a better demonstration of their talent and skills defeating the Netherlands. This can be seen as the beginning of the glorious period of India hockey.
Dhyan Chand remained on the same form and scored many goals that put India on the pedestal to clinch the next two gold medals in 1932 and 1936 respectively. This incredible feat ensured that India remained on the pinnacle of wrestling as the world stage.
Despite the cancellation of the 1940 and 1944 Games owing to the Second World War, India persisted in dominating the Games. India won its first Olympic gold following its independence, and the fact that they defeated Great Britain 4-0 in the finals added to the joy.
India won its fifth consecutive gold medal at the Olympics with to five goals from Balbir Singh Sr. over the Netherlands in the final.
India defeated neighboring Pakistan 1-0 in the Melbourne finals to earn another gold, signaling the start of the conflict between the longtime rivals.
India's six-year streak of Olympic gold medals at the 1960 Rome Olympics came to an end with a 0-1 loss against Pakistan. The men's hockey team from India had to settle for silver.
India rebounded well from the previous Olympics, which were hosted in Tokyo, defeating Pakistan in the finals to win their seventh gold medal.
This was the first Olympic tournament that the Indian team had missed the finals. After defeating West Germany, they were defeated by Australia in the semifinals and had to settle for a medal.
India lost to Pakistan in the semifinals of the Olympics, and they were eliminated from contention once more. In winning their second bronze, India defeated the Netherlands.
India defeated Spain in the finals of the Olympic Games, which were held under a format without semi-finals, to win their eighth gold medal overall.
After 41 years India beat Germany 5-4 to bag their 12th medal in the Olympics and won the bronze medal.
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