How did the Indian hockey team perform at 1992 Olympics?
The hockey events at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, were played from July 20 to August 2. The Estadi Olímpic de Terrassa, which was constructed in 1927, staged all games of the competition.
A total of eight teams including the hosts attained a direct qualification to the event through their performances in continental tournaments and major tournaments. The Indian team was among the four teams making it to the 1992 Olympics through the Qualifiers.
The Indian team was placed along with Australia, Germany, Great Britain, Argentina, and Egypt in Pool A. In their first game, the Pargat Singh-led side faced a shattering 0-3 loss against Germany.
The following game saw them secure a 1-0 victory over Argentina, with Pargat being the goal-scorer. Then, India faced a loss of 3-1 against Great Britain, which put a major dent to their qualification hopes. Mukesh Nandanoori was the only goal-scorer for the side.
The fourth game witnessed them losing 0-1 to Australia, which eliminated them from the top-four race. In their fifth fixture, the Indian outfit secured a 2-1 victory over Egypt, with Mukesh and Jagbir Singh scoring the goals for the team.
With two wins in five games, India finished at the fourth position in their respective group. Then, after losing to Spain in the 5-8 Qualification game, the Indian team faced Argentina for a 7/8 place finish. Mukesh scored a brace, while Pargat scored the other goal, as the Indian team secured a 3-2 victory for a seventh-place finish at the 1992 Olympics.
Germany secured a gold medal at the 1992 Olympics
In the semifinals, Australia secured a 3-2 victory over the Netherlands, while Germany prevailed 2-1 against Pakistan.
The interesting finale clash witnessed Germany winning with a scoreline of 2-1 to secure a gold medal in the 1992 Olympics. The talented forward, Michael Hilgers scored a brace for the German side.
Interestingly, Germany had secured a silver at the 1988 Olympics, but they held their nerves this time around to clinch a yellow metal.