Hangzhou 2022: Hockey women make their mark after 29 years

By Patrick Johnston

Singapore’s women’s hockey players signed off their first Asian Games campaign in 29 years by beating Kazakhstan 2-0 to record a seventh-place finish and end an action-packed year on a high.

Goals by Jolene Ng and Sardonna Ng secured a 2-0 victory at the Gongshu Canal Hockey Field on Saturday (Oct 7). 

“This is a special team of players to coach,” said coach David Viner.

“Despite our expectation for a slightly higher finish, seventh position means we are very proud to still maintain our Asian status at No. 7 and just as proud to increase our world ranking to 32, the highest world ranking our women’s hockey program has held for many years.”

The team overcame adversity to achieve those marks, losing one key player to injury just before the tournament and another in the second game in China. 

And after a season where they had to combine the demands of a SEA Games and Asian Games within a 32-week period, they also had to battle fatigue as well as a number of professional opponents.

Nithira Manimaran fires the ball across the pitch to a teammate during Singapore’s 2-0 win over Kazakhstan. (Photo: Sport Singapore/Alfie Lee)

Against the Kazakhs, they grabbed an early lead but then had to withstand waves and waves of pressure. 

“We conceded a number of penalty corners but we were able to defend each of them through a well drilled structure,” Viner said. 

“Ultimately in the last seconds we managed to get a counter attack on a turnover and sealed the game with a second goal. Every Singapore player played to their very best and we deserved this small reward for a very long and difficult year.”

The women had picked up a bronze at the SEA Games in Cambodia earlier this year but stepping up to compete at their first Asiad since 1994 was always going to be a much tougher assignment.

However, the team, led by skipper Laura Tan, showed all the grit and determination in battling displays in the group stages, where they lost to India, South Korea and Malaysia. 

Johana Hajaratih (left) and Shubhaa Manimaran (right) celebrate with Jolene Ng (centre) after Ng's goal during Singapore’s 2-0 win over Kazakhstan. (Photo: Sport Singapore/Alfie Lee)

Viner said it was a feather in the cap of his team to keep the score with the talented Korean side to only four goals.

They then faced Hong Kong, with another goal by Sardonna Ng securing a memorable 1-0 victory that put them through to the seventh-place showdown with Kazakhstan.

“The team, staff and SportSG specialists all made a commitment that deserved this result for the team,” Viner added.

Jeremiah Balakrishnan drives forward with the ball during Singapore’s men’s hockey match against Bangladesh at the Asian Games. (Photo: Sport Singapore/Andy Chua)

The men’s hockey team ended their Asian Games earlier in the week with a hard-fought clash with Thailand. Singapore led early on but the Thais did just enough, with a late goal in the fourth quarter securing a 3-2 win.

For the men, it was a case of what might have been. The narrow loss to Thailand followed another close defeat by Uzbekistan in their final group game. Kent Loo had put Singapore ahead with a third quarter effort only for the central Asians to come back with two late goals to claim victory. 

“Overall the team did not manage to perform to our potential,” said captain Enrico Marican.

“There are areas we need to work on a lot back in Singapore. The takeaways will be valuable to the team’s development for upcoming tournaments.”

The 19th Asian Games are held in Hangzhou, China from 23 September to 8 October 2023. For the latest Team Singapore coverage and news, follow Team Singapore on their social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok) or visit the official Team Singapore website.