The Women Play For History

With the Dutch men having captured gold one day earlier, there was excitement in the air with the Dutch women playing for gold on Friday. Standing in their way, however, was a Chinese team that had defied the odds by beating some of the best teams on the planet to reach the gold medal final. In the bronze medal game, Argentina would meet Belgium as two of the top teams to take the pitch would meet with one going home empty-handed. Make no mistake that these four teams had earned their way here, and it was time to see what medals they would earn through solid play on the final day of the event at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympic Games!

WOMEN'S BRONZE MEDAL GAME

ARGENTINA vs. BELGIUM: Argentina had come third twice before at the Olympics with those wins coming in 2004 and 2008, but they had never met Belgium with a medal on the line. Belgium was playing for their first medal of any colour after qualifying for the Olympics only once before in 2012. Would Argentina, who had medaled in five of the last six Olympics, use their experience to beat the Belgians or could Belgium defeat the Pan-American champions for their first podium finish ever at the Olympics?

A fairly conservative early part of the first quarter by both sides turned into a 1-0 lead for Belgium when Emma Puvrez snuck a flick inside the post off a deflected shot at the eight-minute mark. Neither side would find another goal in the opening quarter, but things began picking up before the horn with both sides pressing for goals.

A far less accurate second quarter saw passes missed and physical play ramped up, and it resulted in a few more goals. Argentina converted a penalty corner as Agustina Gorzelany scored in the 22nd minute, and Argentina would go up 2-1 when a loose ball following a handful of saves by Belgian goalkeeper Aisling D'Hooge was netted by Agustina Albertario in the 27th minute. Less than a minute later, the Belgians returned the favour when a loose ball in front of Argentinian goalie Cristina Cosentino was flicked home by Justine Rasir in the 27th minute as well to make it 2-2! That score would hold through to halftime, and we'd go into the break with no clear indication as to who may secure the bronze medal.

The third quarter gave us no additional evidence that either side was a clear favorite for a medal as both sides played fairly even hockey. The 2-2 score held through the third quarter despite chances on both sides, sending us into a fourth quarter where the solid defensive play continued. As both sides looked for goals, the final horn would sound on this match, sending us to a penalty shootout for the bronze medal!

Argentina's Lara Casas would score on the first attempt while Belgium's Charlotte Englebert was denied. Both shooters in the second round would be stopped, and both Zoe María Díaz de Armas and Justine Rasir would score on the third attempts for both teams, pushing the shootout to 2-1 in favour of Argentina.

Sofía Cairo would score for Argentina to put all the pressure on Belgium with a 3-1 score and two shooters to go, and Cosentino would come up big to deny Stéphanie Vanden Borre as Argentina captured the bronze medal with a 3-1 shootout score! Argentina would stand on the podium for the sixth time in seventh Olympiads while Belgium would finish in fourth-place in their best finish to date at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympic Games!

WOMEN'S GOLD MEDAL GAME

NETHERLANDS vs. CHINA: This game was a rematch of the 2008 Olympic gold medal game, and that match saw the Dutch prevail by a 2-0 score over the Chinese. Playing in their sixth-straight gold medal final, the Dutch women had all the experience in this game as they looked for their fifth gold medal since 2008. Their only miss came in 2016 when Great Britain upended the Dutch, and China was looking to do the same in this game. China had never won a gold medal in field hockey, and that 2008 silver medal was their best finish. Could they upset the Netherlands in this final?

Just as they had done all tournament, the Chinese weathered an early storm to strike first. He Jiangxin's centering pass found the stick of Chen Yi for a redirection, and that ball eluded Anne Veenendaal at the six-minute mark to put China up 1-0. The Dutch rallied to find their chances and push the ball down the pitch, but the Chinese defence held strong through the remainder of the quarter. After the first stanza, China held the 1-0 lead.

The second quarter saw the Dutch continue its possession and shots-on-net dominance, but China was, again, relentless in their defensive recoveries to keep the Dutch off the scoreboard. The Dutch would press, and the Chinese would resist. The horn would sound on halftime between these two teams, and the Dutch found themselves in a spot they hadn't been in at halftime all tournament long: trailing. China carried that 1-0 lead into the break.

The third quarter saw a refocused Dutch team attack the Chinese circle again, but Chinese goalkeeper Ye Jiao was unshakable in front of her net. Shots were clearly in favour of the Dutch, but nothing had gotten through Ye Jiao as the last line of defence. Another 15 minutes came off the clock as the third quarter came to an end, and China still clung to their 1-0 lead despite the statistical imbalance.

It seemed like it was inevitable, but keeping the Dutch off the scoreboard for as long as China did deserves some kudos. However, they would finally capitalize on a penalty corner in the fourth quarter when Yibbi Jansen scored her ninth goal of the tournament - the most in the women's event - at the 51st minute to tie the game at 1-1! The Dutch, having that weight lifted off them, attacked with everything they had, but the Chinese defence held through to the final horn. At the end of regulation, this game was tied 1-1, meaning we needed another shootout to determine the gold medal winner!

The shootout began with Dutch defender Pien Sanders scored while China's first attempt by He Jiangxin was denied, putting the Netherlands up 1-0. The Dutch would go up by two goals when Maria Verschoor scored while Zou Meirong was stopped. The script flipped when Dutch shooter Freeke Moes was stopped, but China's Zhong Jiaqi scored to make it 2-1 with two shooters to go. Marijn Veen was the next Dutch shooter, and she put the pressure on China with her goal to make it 3-1. China had to score, but Ma Ning was stopped by Veenendaal as the Dutch celebration began! The Netherlands had captured the gold medal with the 3-1 shootout win while China earned the silver medal at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympic Games!

I'll say it again - I don't think that any medals should be won in a team sport by individual goal-scoring talents, but that's how all three medals were determined today. It's absolutely heartbreaking that China's defensive effort was negated by the shootout, but they deserve a pile of kudos for how they played in this tournament. The same goes for Belgium who fell just short to Argentina in just their second appearance at the Olympics. All four teams were excellent competitors in this event, and they all deserve congratulations!

With the medals awarded, the final standings in the 2024 Paris Summer Olympic women's field hockey event are:

1. Netherlands - gold medalists
2. China - silver medalists
3. Argentina - bronze medalists
4. Belgium - fourth-place
5. Australia - eliminated in quarterfinals
6. Germany - eliminated in quarterfinals
7. Spain - eliminated in quarterfinals
8. Great Britain - eliminated in quarterfinals
9. United States - eliminated in pool play
10. Japan - eliminated in pool play
11. South Africa - eliminated in pool play
12. France - eliminated in pool play

There was some history made as the Dutch women completed the first-ever gold-medal sweep in Olympics history with the men winning on Thursday and the women winning on Friday. They also became the first team to successfully three-peat as gold medalists, and they captured their Olympics-best sixth gold medal in field hockey since 1980. The Oranje have proven that they are, once again, the best field hockey team on the planet!

Let's not forget the other teams, though, as China equaled their best finish at the Olympics with a second silver medal. Argentina captured their sixth medal in the last seven Olympics and their third bronze medal in history, and Belgium finished in their highest position ever in just their second Olympics appearance. The ladies from each of these countries deserve congratulations as well!

Congratulations to all twelve teams who qualified to play in the 2024 Paris Summer Olympic Games, and a big shoutout to bronze medal-winning Argentina, silver medal-winning China, and especially to gold medal-winning Netherlands who proved they are the most dominant team in the game! Los Angeles in 2028 will be the next edition of the Summer Olympics, so we'll see if the Netherlands can continue their successes in both the men's and women's tournaments at that time!

Until Los Angeles in 2028, keep your sticks on the pitch!