Odisha hockey players help India win Asiad medals

Hockey players once again made Odisha proud by helping India win one gold and one bronze medals in the in the 17th Asian Games, held at Incheon (Republic of Korea) from Sept 19 to Oct 4, 2014. Among Odisha 12 sportspersons, who represented the country in the Incheon Games, all five hockey players returned with medals.

Among the hockey players, Birendra Lakra was a member of the Indian men team that beat arch-rivals Pakistan in the final to win the gold after a gap of 16 years and qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympics. Incidentally, Dilip Tirkey and Lazarus Barla were the members of Indian men hockey team when the country last claimed the Asiad gold in 1998 at Bangkok. Birendra drew applause for scoring a goal in the penalty shoot out of the thrilling final against defending champions Pakistan.