India's veteran midfielder Manpreet Singh said that securing an early berth for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics will afford the national men's hockey team valuable additional preparation time — a dividend he believes can be decisive at the highest level. The remarks came after India defended their Asian Games gold medal with a commanding 5-1 victory over Malaysia in the final at the Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium in Kakamigahara on 4 October 2026.

Manpreet's Historic Milestone

Manpreet Singh became the only Indian hockey player to win three Asian Games gold medals with this victory, cementing his legacy as one of the sport's most decorated Indian campaigners. Reflecting on the significance of the result, he stressed that the win carried weight far beyond continental glory. 'The Asian Games was an important tournament for us. We have directly qualified for LA (Olympics). So, we don't have to play the qualifier round, and we can work on ourselves and what we need to work on. Overall, we had a very good performance in all the Asian Games,' Manpreet said after the gold medal win.

Why Direct Qualification Matters

By securing the Olympics berth at this stage, India sidestep the qualifier round entirely — freeing up months of preparation time that would otherwise be consumed by high-stakes, elimination-format hockey. The same strategic advantage played out before the Paris Olympics 2024, when India had also qualified directly after their Hangzhou Asian Games gold in 2023. That additional runway contributed to India returning with a bronze medal from Paris, following a similar third-place finish at the Tokyo Games 2021. Notably, India remain the only team to have won a medal at both Tokyo and Paris, with the other two medallists changing across the two editions.

Context: A Redemption After a Difficult World Cup

The Asiad triumph provides a significant morale boost following a difficult outing at the World Cup in August, where the men's side finished eighth and failed to reach the semifinals. The Asian Games gold underscores the team's ability to regroup and perform under pressure in major multi-sport competitions, even when global form has been inconsistent.

Women's Team Also Scripts History

In a landmark moment for Indian hockey, the women's team simultaneously secured their own direct place at LA 2028 by clinching gold at the same continental showpiece. The Salima Tete-led side defeated reigning Olympic silver medallists China by 1-0 in the Asiad final. This was the first time both Indian men's and women's hockey teams won the Asian Games gold in the same edition. For the women's side, it was only their second gold medal at the continental event, the first having come at the 1982 Asian Games — a gap of over four decades.

What This Means for LA 2028

With both squads now confirmed for Los Angeles, India's hockey programme enters a rare phase of stability: no qualifier anxiety, a clear preparation window, and a psychological high point to build on. The challenge will be converting this early certainty into structured improvement, particularly for the men's side seeking to go beyond their recent bronze-medal ceiling at the Olympics.