The Dutch dynasty in field hockey continues.
With wins in both the men's and women's tournaments, the Netherlands completed the first-ever golden sweep in the sport's Olympic history, but that's just one of the many groundbreaking storylines the Paris Olympics offered. From the U.S. women earning a tournament bid for the first time since 2016 to the Spanish men's team upsetting top-ranked Belgium in the quarterfinals, the series was wrought with drama.
Without a doubt, Paris provided the world of international field hockey a tournament to remember.
Men's tournament
MEDALISTS:
Gold: Netherlands
Silver: Germany
Bronze: India
Despite facing a 24-year gold medal drought, the Netherlands entered the tournament as the heavy favorite. Belgium's golden generation which led the team to silver at Rio 2016 and gold at Tokyo 2020 was reaching the end of its prime, and India — the most storied program in men's or women's tournament history — had seen its first real success in 41 years in Tokyo, where the Men in Blue won bronze.
But to get to the top prize, the Dutch would have to overcome Tokyo silver medalist Australia and snap a three-game losing streak to reigning World Cup champion Germany. They did all that and more, falling just once in the pool round to none other than Germany and sprinting through the knockout round with two shutouts over Australia and Spain. Then, in the title match, there was Germany yet again.
In a rematch of the 2012 Olympic final, which saw Germany exit victorious, the Netherlands persevered through regulation and grabbed a shootout win for the gold.
But the victory wouldn't come easily. Halfway through the match, a rogue sprinkler interrupted play, spouting water across the field.
In the other medal match, India battled Spain for its second-straight bronze.
India earned bronze for its first medal in 41 years in Tokyo. Heading into Paris, the Men in Blue hoped to continue that resurgence, and they did. Powered by a tournament-leading 10 goals from Harmanpreet Singh and two shootout wins from veteran goalie Sreejesh Parattu Raveendran, India defended its spot on the podium.
Though they just missed the podium, the Spanish put up a valiant effort throughout the tournament. With its 2-2-1 record in pool play, Spain squeezed into the knockout round and, despite being the lowest-ranked team in the quarterfinals, beat world No. 1 Belgium for a semifinal bid.
Women's tournament
MEDALISTS:
Gold: Netherlands
Silver: China
Bronze: Argentina
The Netherlands faced a ton of pressure entering Paris; not only were the Dutch women the reigning gold medalist, but if their male counterparts could also grab the top prize, it would be up to them to complete the sport's first golden sweep.
Though seemingly a daunting feat, the Dutch attacked it with ease, sailing past its opponents in both the pool and knockout rounds for a gold-medal bid. They allowed more than one goal just once — their opener against France, which still ended in 6-2 blowout — and racked up two shutouts, the first one being against eventual gold-medal foe China.
China's women's squad entered Paris with possibly the most interesting storyline in either tournament. In 2022, the team found a new head coach in Alyson Annan, who coached the Dutch women to silver in Rio and gold in Tokyo. The Snow Lotuses saw marked improvement under Annan's authority, swiftly climbing the ranks in Asian field hockey.
A triumphant knockout round run marked by a victory over then-undefeated Australia led China to the gold medal match — the country's first since 2008, where it also came up against the Netherlands.
Facing a 10-year, 20-game losing streak to the Dutch — the most recent coming a week earlier in the pool round — the Snow Lotuses had their work cut out for them heading into the title game. But using what they learned in that match, and what Annan knew of the behemoth Dutch crew she built, China met its opponent head on.
China scored first and maintained that lead through much of the game. Though the Netherlands eventually fought its way back to the top, China put up the toughest battle the Dutch had faced yet and forced the champions to defend their title in a shootout.
Argentina, which won silver in both Tokyo and the 2022 World Cup, maintained its powerhouse status throughout the tournament, fighting its way to the bronze match and clinching its sixth medal in seven Olympic competitions.
Though the U.S. struggled in the pool round, its presence in the tournament alone was an accomplishment worth celebrating.
For an all-rookie squad that failed to qualify for the previous Olympic Games in Tokyo, simply earning the opportunity to gain experience at the highest international level is a huge step forward. Their surprising showing at the Olympic qualifier in February, in which the young Eagles pulled off a series of upsets to win their group and finish the tournament in second overall, proved the crew has grit and promise.
The Eagles' main obstacle was themselves. They began each match with a sluggishness and hesitancy consistent only with the inexperience they brought to the tournament, and when the energy picked up, the spike often led to easily avoidable sloppiness. But those little mistakes improved as pool play continued. The U.S. picked up its first win in its final match, a 1-0 victory over South Africa, proving the team just needs experience to succeed.
Their youth served as both a hinderance and advantage. On the one hand, the squad often lost sight of the little things that can (and did) make or break a game, like maintaining a tight defensive corps and landing passes. On the other, all of the Eagles' offensive success originated from players under the age of 23 — Ashley Sessa (21) found the only tally versus Argentina, Sophia Gladieux (22) struck early in what would be a 1-1 tie against Spain, and Abby Tamer (21) grabbed two against Great Britain.
All obvious weaknesses aside, this team showed potential and unrelenting drive. If they have any say in it, the Eagles will be back in Los Angeles in 2028.