How did the Indian Men’s Hockey Team fare at the London Olympics?

India had a horrendous outing in the 2012 London Olympics. For a team that have won eight gold medals, India flattered to deceive big time in the quadrennial event 12 years ago. India qualified for the showpiece event after beating France 8-1 in the qualifiers.

However, they were all over the place in the Olympics. In a group that also featured the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, South Korea, and New Zealand, India finished at the bottom of the table with zero points after losing all five of their matches.

India had a goal difference of -12 as they scored six goals and leaked as many as 18. After failing to qualify for the Beijing Olympics, India did return to the multi-nation event but looked hapless throughout.

India men’s hockey team disappoint at London Olympics

India got off to a poor start as the Netherlands beat them 3-2. Dharamvir Singh and Shivendra Singh scored and helped India make it 2-2. But then, Mink van der Weerden scored the winner in the 51st minute.

Thereafter, India lost 1-3 to New Zealand. Sandeep Singh scored a goal in the second minute to give India a lead. But they then conceded three goals in 16 minutes to finish on the winning side.

India found the going tough even against Germany and ended up losing the match 2-5. VR Raghunath and Tushar Khandker scored for them.

India’s campaign went from back to worse after South Korea defeated them 4-1. Gurwinder Singh Chandi scored in the 10th minute to equalize after South Korea opened the scoring, but India faltered big time from there on. In their last group match, India slumped to a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Belgium.

Playing against South Africa for an 11th-place finish, India lost 2-3. Interestingly, 2012 witnessed the worst performance by an Indian hockey team in the Olympics.