Netherlands defends Olympic women's field hockey title by beating China, sweeps Paris golds in sport

COLOMBES, France (AP) — The Netherlands defended its title in Olympic women's field hockey, rallying from an early deficit to beat China 2-1 in a shootout in the final at the Paris Games on Friday night.

The victory followed the Dutch men’s team taking gold a day earlier. The Netherlands became the first country to sweep the field hockey medals at the Games since the women’s tournament was added in 1980.

Much like the men, the women did so surrounded by a sea of orange, with Dutch fans filling Yves-du-Manoir Stadium and making for a festive atmosphere. Also like the men, it did not happen easily.

The Netherlands fell behind 5:54 in when a defensive lapse in front allowed Chen Yi to redirect Dan Wen's setup past goalkeeper Anne Veenendaal. After trailing for just six minutes all tournament until the final, the Dutch generated plenty of quality chances through three quarters, including Frederique Malta ringing one penalty corner shot off the left post and missing wide right on another.

Yibbi Jansen tied it with 9:11 left in regulation by scoring on a penalty corner, setting off cheering, flag-waving and jumping in the stands. Pien Sanders, Maria Verschoor and Marijn Veen scored in the shootout to spark what could be an all-night party for the Dutch players and their fans.

The second of back-to-back Olympic titles came with former coach Alyson Annan on the other side with China. Annan, an Australian native who guided the Netherlands to gold in Tokyo in 2021, abruptly stepped down in early 2022 after a Royal Dutch Hockey Association investigation into team culture under her watch following complaints from players.

The Netherlands improved to 21-0 against China over the past decade, with 15 of those wins being by multiple goals.

Argentina took home women’s field hockey bronze after beating Belgium in a penalty shootout. Argentina medaled for a second consecutive Games, taking silver in Tokyo for losing to the Netherlands in the final.

“It’s crazy,” Argentina goalkeeper Cristina Cosentino said. “We’re very happy. We came here to get medals, and we couldn’t go back empty-handed.”

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AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games