BUENOS AIRES: The Indian men’s and women’s teams advanced to the final of hockey 5s competition in the Youth Olympics after registering emphatic wins over their respective opponents here.
India defeated hosts Argentina 3-1 in the men’s semifinal match on Saturday while the women’s team beat China 3-0 in their last-four match. The Indian men face Malaysia in the summit clash while their women counterparts take on hosts Argentina in the final. This is the first time India is taking part in a hockey competition in the Youth Olympics. The country did not feature in the earlier two editions. Hockey 5s, the five-a-side version, is played on a pitch smaller than the normal 11-player game and it was introduced in the 2014 Singapore Youth Olympics. In the men’s semifinal match, Sudeep Chirmako and Rahul Kumar Rajbhar (3th) scored for India while captain Facundo Zarate found the target for Argentina. India took the lead through Rahul Kumar but Argentina tried hard though failed at the end. (PTI)
