Queens of hearts: Women’s hockey team loses bronze but wins hearts
Tokyo, August 6
The history-making Indian women’s hockey team’s dream of securing its maiden Olympics medal remained unfulfilled as it lost 4-3 to Great Britain in a hard-fought bronze playoff but the stout-hearted side managed to record its best ever finish at the Games here today.
The team had already created history and surpassed all expectations by entering the semifinals of the Games for the first time. But the maiden medal remained out of bounds as world No. 4 Great Britain, gold winners at the 2016 Rio Games, came out on top in a pulsating encounter.
The Indians played their hearts out and overcame a two-goal deficit to lead 3-2 at half-time. But the desperate Britons gave everything in the second half and scored two goals to snatch the match.
India scored three goals in a space of five minutes through Gurjit Kaur (25th, 26th minutes) and Vandana Katariya (29th). But the Britishers found the net four times through Elena Rayer (16th), Sarah Robertson (24th), skipper Hollie Pearne-Webb (35th) and Grace Baldson (48th) to emerge winners.
Bajrang’s medal hunt
Chiba: Bajrang Punia’s perennial leg-defence weakness came to haunt him at the big stage as he lost the men’s freestyle 65kg semifinal to three-time world champion Haji Aliev and will now fight for bronze.
Rio Olympics bronze winner Aliev of Azerbaijan consistently attacked Bajrang’s legs and twice got himself into position from where he could roll the Indian comfortably for easy two-point throws. Trailing 1-4 after the first period, Bajrang looked for a big attack but Aliev smartly effected a counter takedown to take an 8-1 lead.
The Azerbaijani was losing steam and Bajrang got two takedowns to reduce the deficit but the required big move never came. Under 30 seconds left, Bajrang desperately looked for an attack but Aliev repelled by gripping him in strong body-lock. The final score read 12-5.
In the women’s 50kg, debutant Seema Bisla lost her 50kg opener 3-1 to Tunisia’s Sarra Hamdi. — PTI
