The Indian women’s hockey team sealed its place in next year’s Tokyo Olympic Games after beating USA 6-5 on aggregate despite losing the second match 1-4 in the double-leg FIH Qualifiers on Friday. After thrashing USA 5-1 on Friday, the Indian girls were outperformed today as USA raced to a 4-0 lead in the first half at Bhubaneswar.
India’s vital goal was scored by captain Rani Rampal in the 48th minute. Indian women have now qualified for back-to-back Olympics having sealed it in Rio de Janeiro after a gap of 36 years. Meanwhile, the men’s second leg match against Russia is underway. Yesterday, Indian men’s team beat Russia 4 – 2 in the first leg of the Qualifiers at Bhubaneswar.