Coaches Sardar Singh & Rani hail Indian teams after gold and silver at Youth Hockey5s Asian Championship

Hockey coach Sardar Singh on Indian junior hockey team

Coaches Sardar Singh and Rani hailed the determination, discipline and fearless approach shown by India’s young hockey stars after the Indian Sub-Junior Men’s Team clinched the Gold Medal and the Indian Sub-Junior Women’s Team secured the Silver Medal at the inaugural AHF Youth Hockey5s Asian Championship 2026.

The successful campaigns also saw both teams qualify for the inaugural FIH Youth Hockey5s World Cup, underlining the country’s growing strength in the fast-paced Hockey5s format.

The Indian Sub-Junior Men’s Team, coached by Sardar Singh, enjoyed a flawless campaign, winning all seven of their matches en route to the title. India began with commanding victories over Bangladesh (7-3 and 8-3), followed by dominant wins against hosts Oman (14-0 and 10-1). They then overcame Pakistan twice in the Elite Pool by 7-4 and 7-3 margins in double headers before defeating their arch-rivals 3-1 in a thrilling final to lift the inaugural championship trophy.

Speaking on the men’s triumph, Coach Sardar Singh said, “I am immensely proud of the character and commitment shown by every player throughout the tournament. Winning all our matches, including three victories against Pakistan, reflects the hard work the boys have put in over the past few months. This gold medal and qualification for the FIH Youth Hockey5s World Cup are richly deserved and will give these youngsters tremendous confidence for the future.”

Sardar added, “I would like to sincerely thank Hockey India for continuously investing in and supporting the development of our young players by providing them with every opportunity to excel. I would also like to express my gratitude to Punjab University for hosting our national coaching camp and providing world-class training facilities. The excellent infrastructure and support we received created the ideal environment for the team to prepare, and it played an important role in our success in Muscat.”

Rani Rampal on Indian junior hockey team

Meanwhile, the Indian Sub-Junior Women’s Hockey Team, under the guidance of Rani, also produced an impressive campaign to finish runners-up. The team registered convincing victories over Kazakhstan (8-3 and 10-0) and Uzbekistan (16-0 and 10-0).

They also earned a 2-2 draw against China before suffering a 3-6 defeat in the Pool stage. India bounced back emphatically in the Semi-Final, defeating Kazakhstan 8-1 to book a place in the final, where they went down 2-4 against China to finish with the Silver medal.

Reacting to the women’s Silver medal-winning campaign, Coach Rani said, “The girls displayed great determination and resilience throughout the tournament. Reaching the Final of the inaugural championship and qualifying for the Youth Hockey5s World Cup is a significant achievement for this young group. While we would have loved to return with the Gold medal, this experience will help the players grow and motivate them to come back even stronger. Also, this was the team’s first-ever final at the international level, and I believe the experience of playing on such a big stage will only make them stronger. They will learn from this campaign, grow in confidence, and be better equipped to handle these moments in future tournaments.”

“I would like to thank Hockey India for its unwavering support towards the development of young players and for ensuring that the team had the best possible preparation. I also extend my heartfelt gratitude to the Government of Madhya Pradesh for hosting our national coaching camp at the Madhya Pradesh State Shooting Academy in Bhopal,” she concluded.

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