Paris, France – Day 14: The Netherlands women are the Olympic champions for a record extending fifth time thanks to a shoot-out win over China, a team that held the lead for the vast majority of an extraordinary gold medal match at the Yves-du-Manoir Hockey Stadium.
The result means that the Netherlands have become the first nation in history to secure both the men’s and women’s Olympic gold medals at the same Games.
Despite the reigning Olympic, World, European and FIH Hockey Pro League champions starting as heavy favourites, China stunned their illustrious opponents and the vast swathes of Orange clad fans when Chen Yi touched home the opening goal just six minutes into the contest.
Remarkably, it was a lead that the continental champions of Asia – who were beaten 3-0 by the Netherlands in the pool phase – held until the 51st minute when tournament top scorer Yibbi Jansen finally made the breakthrough, firing home her ninth penalty corner of the competition to send a ferociously contested match into a shoot-out.
The one-on-ones were dominated by the Dutch, with Pien Sanders, Maria Verschoor and Marijn Veen all scoring while goalkeeper Anne Veenendaal produced three astonishing saves to seal the gold medal in the most dramatic of circumstances.
The Netherlands have now won four of the last five Olympic gold medals on offer, an astonishing record from one of the most dominant sporting teams the world has ever seen. It was a special moment for Netherlands head coach Paul Van Ass, who guided the team to glory just one day after his son, Seve, won gold as a player with the men’s team. Speaking after the match, Van Ass said:
“It was a very close game. Well, we attacked, and they defended. But because they got a goal so early, they had the time to defend. And they defended very well. And we couldn’t convert a lot of penalty corners. If you (get) five, six penalty corners, and you (score) one or two, then the game is open, and they have to come, but we couldn’t do that. And that was very close. But the girls played good hockey.”
For Yibbi Jansen, she has followed in the footsteps of her father by becoming a hockey Olympic gold medallist, with Ronald Jansen – who was watching in the stands – playing in goal for the Netherlands men’s teams that became champions at Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000.
While the Netherlands will be deservedly praised for their astonishing achievement, the contribution made by China to this occasion was colossal. The continental champions of Asia went toe-to-toe with their opponents throughout, fully deserving their regular time draw against the mighty Dutch in a gripping match.
Thanks to the tactical brilliance of Alyson Annan – an all-time great player who guided the Netherlands women to the Olympic title at Tokyo 2020 – China are once again a global force, with their performance in Paris matching the silver medal they won at Beijing 2008, their home Olympic Games. They have earned the respect of the world, a fact proven by the incredible reception they received from masses of Dutch supporting fans at Yves-du-Manoir.
“Almost, huh? We were really close”, said Annan shortly after the match. “We fought hard. Getting to a shoot-out is pretty good. Look, six months ago, a year ago, two years ago, we wouldn’t have thought we’d be here. This is just amazing.
“I wasn’t surprised (it was so close)”, continued Annan. “I thought we were capable of this. I thought that we could win. We did everything we could. They were just better in the shoot-out today.”
Earlier in the day, Argentina women won the bronze medal by overcoming Belgium in a shoot-out after a pulsating match finished 2-2.
For the second time in this competition, Argentina goalkeeper Cristina Cosentino produced a sparking performance in the one-on-ones, being beaten just once in four Belgian attempts with Lara Casas, teenager Zoe Diaz de Armas and Sofia Cairo scoring the vital goals.
The result gave Las Leonas their sixth Olympic medal in their last seven appearances, having claimed silver at Sydney 2000, London 2012 and Tokyo 2020 as well as additional bronze medals at Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008. It was a cruel end to an exceptional tournament for Belgium, who miss out on a medal by finishing fourth.
“I am really happy because I think this team deserves everything”, said Argentina’s Agustina Albertarrio after the match. “We played eight games and we lost only once, against the best team, which is the Netherlands. I am really happy because this team gives everything, but I also want to congratulate Belgium because they have an amazing team. They have a lot of fight, it was really hard (playing against them). Now we want to celebrate, enjoy this moment with our families and the fans, who are amazing.”
Further information and statistics about the match can be found here.
Notable figures attending the Olympic hockey on the final day of action at Yves-du-Manoir were Princess Elisabeth of Belgium and Netherlands Prime Minister Dick Schoof.
The hockey competitions at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 took place from Saturday 27 July to Friday 9 August. Both the men’s and women’s competitions featured 12 teams, split into two pools of six ahead of quarter-finals, semi-finals and medal matches. For more information about the hockey competitions at Paris 2024, visit Olympics.Hockey.
Olympic Games Paris 2024 – Hockey
9 August 2024 – Day 14
Women’s medal matches – Friday 9 August 2024 (all times CEST)
14:00 – Bronze: Argentina 2-2 Belgium (3-1 after shoot-out)
20:00 – Gold: Netherlands 1-1 China (3-1 after shoot-out)
Final Standings
Women
Gold: The Netherlands
Silver: China
Bronze: Argentina
4: Belgium
5: Australia
6: Germany
7: Spain
8: Great Britain
9: USA
10: Japan
11: South Africa
12: France
Men
Gold: The Netherlands
Silver: Germany
Bronze: India
4: Spain
5: Belgium
6: Australia
7: Great Britain
8: Argentina
9: South Africa
10: Ireland
11: France
12: New Zealand
Pool standings overviews
Women: click here.
Men: click here.
Source: FIH.hockey
