How has the Indian men's hockey team performed at the Olympics in the last two decades?
The Indian men's hockey team is gearing up for the Tokyo Olympics 2020. The team is in form and a podium finish is expected from the team this time around.
But the men's hockey team has not enjoyed much success at the quadrennial event in the last two decades. The team dominated the Olympics from 1928 to 1964 when India won seven golds and one silver. But then came the phase of struggle when, from 1968 to 2016, India managed only one gold and two bronzes and missed out on one Olympics altogether.
But performances at the Olympics, specifically in the last two decades, i.e. from the Sydney Olympics 2000, have been even more embarrassing.
Here is a look back at the struggles of the men's hockey team in the previous four editions of the Olympics.
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Sydney, 2000
India were pooled along with Australia, South Korea, Argentina, Poland, and Spain. India won 3-0 against Argentina, drew 2-2 against Australia, lost 0-2 to South Korea, slipped up 2-3 versus Spain, and drew 1-1 against Poland. India finished third in their pool, which gave them a chance into 5th-to-8th place classification matches. Against Great Britain, India lost 1-3 but won 3-1 against Argentina to settle for seventh spot among the 12 competing teams.
Athens, 2004
India were being led by Dhanraj Pillay and this was his fourth Olympic appearance.
In Pool B, India were grouped alongside the Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Argentina.
India's campaign was off to a disappointing start with a 1-3 loss against the Netherlands. The loss was followed by a 2-4 drubbing at the hands of South Africa. India managed to give Australia a tough fight in the next match but eventually went down 3-4. Next India lost to New Zealand by 1-2 before drawing its last group stage match against Argentina 2-2. India defeated South Korea 5-2 and had to settle for a seventh-place finish for a second Olympics running.
Beijing, 2008
When India lost 0-2 against Great Britain in the final of the World Hockey Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Santiago, Chile, an unwanted history was scripted. For the first time in 80 years, India's men's hockey team had failed to qualify for the Olympics. This was the darkest phase in the history of Indian men's hockey.
London, 2012
India did manage to qualify for the 2012 London Olympics, but the team's showing on the field was as good as that of a minnow. In Pool B, India were tagged along with the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, South Korea, and New Zealand. India lost all its Pool B matches, scoring merely 6 goals while conceding 18. At the end of all the Pool matches, India had the worst goal difference of -12 among all twelve participating teams. In an 11-12 finish, India lost 2-3 to South Africa, thereby finishing last for the first time in its history.
Rio, 2016
At Rio Olympics 2016, India were once more placed in Pool B along with Germany, the Netherlands, Argentina, Ireland, and Canada.
India started its campaign well with a 3-2 win over Ireland and a 2-1 surprise win over Germany. But the campaign soon hit a roadblock following the 1-2 loss against Argentina. The team bounced back as it recorded a 2-1 win against the Netherlands but Canada held India to a 2-2 draw.
In the quarterfinals, India came up short against Belgium 1-3 and eventually finished eighth overall.
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