India in Hockey, Paris 2024 Olympics Review: History repeats itself as Fulton’s philosophy is vindicated

Winning back-to-back Olympic medals is the stuff of dreams in Indian sports. So parched of success and excellence on the biggest stage are we as a nation that while China and the USA battle it out for the top spot in a race for gold medals, we celebrate bronze medals as an achievement. Some bronze medals, however, do feel special.

The Indian men’s hockey team did the unthinkable in Paris, becoming the only team to retain its spot on the podium from three years ago in Tokyo. It was also the first time since 1972 that the team returned with a medal from consecutive editions. To put things in perspective, that was the last time international hockey was played on natural grass before moving permanently to artificial turf.

It was also a vindication of the processes put in place by head coach Craig Fulton, who had 15 months to take the team from the heartbreak of a World Cup at home to competing as an equal in Paris. Not too many were enamoured with his ‘defend to win’ philosophy, terming it a ‘European thing’ and restrictive of the natural Indian flair and attacking play. The fact that the players not only bought into it but stuck to it through the Olympics is a testament to the trust within the group.

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If sources are to be believed, the authorities had low expectations for the hockey team’s chances of winning a medal. India’s early performance suggested it was still finding its footing. Fortunately, the schedule was in its favour, starting with matches against New Zealand, Argentina, and Ireland — teams that can be unpredictable under pressure. Notably, New Zealand had knocked India out of the 2023 World Cup in the group stages through a shootout, but they weren’t unbeatable.

Compared to the later stages, it was easier for the team to bounce back from mistakes, regroup, iron out chinks and work out individual roles for the players. By the time India faced Belgium, it was already well-positioned to advance to the quarterfinals, having checked off the first goal on its list. The team was in sync, ready for a smooth progression.

Although India lost, it was its best performance till then. Less than 24 hours later, the players took to the field again, against perennial nightmare Australia. That game, in more ways than one, was the ideal marker of the Indian team’s real potential and possible finish in the Olympics.

Australia’s Thomas Craig, center, reacts as Indian players jubilate on the end of the men’s field hockey match between Australia and India.
| Photo Credit:
Anjum Naveed/AP

The challenge was physical — back-to-back games against two of the fastest and toughest teams? Check. It was a mental test — could the team rebound from a narrow defeat? Check. Emotionally, it was a challenge too— would the players stay composed when facing the yellow-green spectre? A team that had crushed India 5-0 in a test series just three months earlier? Check. Tactically too, it was a test — could the team stick to its plan, resisting the lure of open spaces and the urge to revert to its natural attacking style? Check. Securing full points and a win against the Aussies felt like breaking a curse — India hadn’t beaten them at the Olympics since 1972!

The game against Australia was the first sign that, despite its ranking (India was seventh before the Paris Games), form, or expert opinions, this team had different plans. The momentum it built hinted that India might go all the way to the final, aiming for its first shot at gold since 1980. Even a contentious but legally correct red card, forcing it to play with 10 men for nearly 42 minutes against a fast-paced Great Britain in the quarterfinals, was just a minor setback.

“The red card revitalised us like nothing else. We decided we were not going to lose that game, come what may. We regrouped, defined our roles, worked out our plans, and just stuck to them. Any other game, not that one,” was the chorus from the Indians after the famous shootout win. A big criticism of the team at the World Cup was its visibly lower fitness levels compared to Tokyo. Paris ended those doubts. It was also the game that brought the focus right back on Paddy Upton and Mike Horn, the duo credited with bringing in crucial mental toughness among the players. That Upton was by the team’s side throughout the Games was an added help.

It is a measure of the team’s growth through the competition that, from rank outsiders to even advancing to the last four, the loss to reigning world champion Germany in the semifinal was considered a disaster, a chance squandered. To then come back from it and retain the bronze was impressive. There were, in fact, quite a few things in common with the 1972 outing.

As then captain Ajitpal Singh wrote about the 1972 Munich Olympics in his piece on Sportstar, India had a team to win gold but messed up. It missed penalty corners and open chances by the dozen in the semis. It did not have a second drag-flicker. And it was the beginning of world hockey truly going international, with new teams staking claims. Things that held true in 1972 and in 2024.

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But if Paris 2024 threw up surprise results — like Spain defeating Germany, South Africa pushing the Netherlands hard, or Belgium thrashing Australia — it also stuck to the pre-event form book with the Dutch taking gold. As the top-ranked side in the competition and with an enviable record — just seven losses in 52 games over the last two years — they were the team to beat, and they remained that, barring a 1-0 blip to Germany in the pool stage. The Dutch women made it a double delight, the first time ever in Olympic history. Having missed the semifinals for the second straight edition, it also led to questions on whether the famed Australian hockey team needed a hard reset to stay competitive.

Women’s hockey gold medal winners Netherlands celebrate during the medal ceremony.
| Photo Credit:
DeFodi Images via Getty Images

Among the women, China’s silver was the bright spot, standing out in the usual list of European powerhouses. It was also a measure of how much the presence of good management matters: Alyson Annan, Ric Charlesworth, and Taeke Taekema are names not to be taken lightly, and the result should be a lesson for Hockey India on how a team that it consistently beat till 2022 suddenly turned things around in the last two years.