Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the Indian Women’s Hockey Team on Thursday following their title win at the Bihar Women’s Asian Champions Trophy 2024. In a post on X, PM Modi said that they played “exceptionally well” through the tournament. “A phenomenal accomplishment! Congratulations to our hockey team on winning the Women’s Asian Champions Trophy.
They played exceptionally well through the tournament. Their success will motivate many upcoming athletes,” the post mentioned. The Indian Women’s Hockey Team were crowned Champions of the Bihar Women’s Asian Champions Trophy Rajgir 2024, at the Rajgir Hockey Stadium on Wednesday, after a 1-0 victory over China in the Final.
The game saw both teams trade blows in the first half but India upped the intensity in the second half and a goal from Deepika (31′) ensured India defended their Asian Champions Trophy title. Hockey India declared a reward of Rs 3 lakh each for all players and Rs 1.5 Lakh each for all support staff following the victory. The Asian Hockey Federation also announced a reward for podium finishers for the very first time in the competition’s history.
India will receive a substantial USD 10,000, while China and Japan will be awarded USD 7,000 and USD 5,000 respectively. Both teams fiercely contested every inch of territory as the game began, trading circle entries without managing any shots on goal. It was an intense, end-to-end battle, but neither side could find the finishing touch for most of the quarter. In the final minutes of the quarter, India strung together a series of quick passes to penetrate the shooting circle.
However, the Chinese defence stayed resilient, closely marking the forwards and preventing any clear goalscoring opportunities and the first quarter ended goalless. In the second quarter, China took the initiative and earned a penalty corner two minutes in, but Bichu Devi showcased her catlike reflexes by leaping high to swat away a close-range shot