Netherlands edge out spirited China in shoot-out to win gold in women’s hockey at Paris Olympics 2024  

Netherlands beat China in the final of women’s hockey to win the gold medal at the Paris Olympics 2024 on Friday (August 9). The Dutch women thereby followed the men’s team that finished on top of the podium after taking down Germany in the final. Netherlands have been a brute force in women’s hockey, having played six finals in a row.

But they had to play out of their skin to get the better of their Chinese opponents. Chen Yi put China on the driver’s seat right from the word go after scoring in the sixth minute. However, Yibbi Jansen, known for her penalty corners, put her hands up to rescue the Dutch from a precarious position.

Jansen showed tremendous form and scored her ninth goal of the championship. She made sure that the match went into the penalty shootout.

In the shootout, Dutch goalkeeper Anne Veenendaal held her nerves to save the first two goals. Once she stopped Ma Ning from scoring a goal, the Dutch players at the Manoir Stadium in Colombes erupted. Pien Sanders, Marijn Veen and Maria Verschoor scored for the Netherlands.

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China show heart with spirited performance in Paris Olympics 2024

The Chinese women’s team did not have a great time in Tokyo. China finished fifth in the group stage with wins in only two out of five matches. But in Paris, they made a stupendous comeback.

China finished fourth in the table in Pool A with six points after wins in two out of five matches. In the quarters, they beat Australia 3-2. The match against Belgium was a thriller, but China had the last laugh in the penalty shootout.

In the final, they would have dreamed of a gold medal once Chen gave China the early lead. But they finished on the losing side and had to stay content with a silver.

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