Paris Olympics bronze remains most satisfying achievement, says India coach Fulton

India may have successfully defended its Asian Games men's hockey gold, but head coach Craig Fulton says the bronze medal at the Paris Olympics remains the most satisfying achievement of his tenure, given the team's resilience and faith in its processes during a difficult build-up.

India beat Malaysia 5-1 in the Asian Games final to retain its title and secure direct qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

But for Fulton, the campaign in Paris stands apart.

“Most satisfying moment is probably the Paris Olympics in a way of how we had stuck to our structures and our processes, even though we were losing games in the FIH Pro League and losing games against Australia before the Paris Olympics,” Fulton told PTI in an exclusive interview.

“And then we peaked at the right time through good planning and obviously with all the staff doing a great job. And what happened then is we beat Australia for the first time in 50 years.”

India defeated Australia 3-2 in Paris, ending a 52-year wait for an Olympic victory over the Kookaburras.

The team then showed its resilience again after being reduced to 10 players before securing a shootout victory, drew with Great Britain and won another shootout in the quarterfinals before narrowly losing 3-2 to eventual champions Germany in the semifinals.

“That period was very special,” Fulton said.

The South African coach, though, is equally proud of India's dominance in Asian hockey, particularly after the team became the first Indian men's side to win back-to-back Asian Games gold medals.

“People say it's easy to win back-to-back medals in the Asian Games. It's never been done before. India has never done it. So, it's not easy. I'm very proud of the performance that we've done in Asia,” he said.

The achievement came despite a demanding schedule, with only about three weeks separating the World Cup and Asian Games. India finished a disappointing eighth at the World Cup before recovering to successfully defend its Asian Games crown.

“To put two really good performances back-to-back within three weeks of two tournaments being three weeks apart, it's really difficult. That's why big tournaments are within three weeks of each other. You need time, you need space to recover and go again,” Fulton said.

He said the Asian Games gold had always been India's primary target for 2026 because of the direct Olympic qualification it offered.

“We knew the World Cup was there, we had bold aspirations to do well in the World Cup but unfortunately that didn't happen. Our main goal in 2026 was the Asian Games gold and we wanted to make our own piece of Indian hockey history by defending the title and going back-to-back and winning both golds,” he said.

Why Fulton retained the core squad

Fulton said retaining largely the same group of players for the World Cup and Asian Games was a deliberate decision, despite the short gap between the two tournaments.

He explained that changing the squad would have made it difficult to maintain consistency in coaching, tactics and preparation.

“While I am at the World Cup, who's coaching this group of players with the same tactics, with the same mindset and what we're trying to do?” he said.

Instead, 22 players were taken to the Netherlands, with those not playing in the World Cup continuing to train alongside the team.

“They come through the same meetings. They see the same team talks. They see what happens in the game and then how we address the next game. That was the plan. It was the best way of using our resources,” Fulton said.

The coach is now looking towards the next phase of India's transition as the team builds towards the Los Angeles Olympics.

He said India has a strong pool of young players, with an Under-21 side, an India A group and the senior team all part of an interconnected programme.

Following a two-week break, the players will assemble for a training camp in Jalandhar ahead of the Asian Champions Trophy, to be held in Mohali and Jalandhar from October 27 to November 5.

Fulton said around 30 players would be involved in the preparations, with 20 selected for the Asian Champions Trophy and others retained to form a group for India's subsequent three-Test tour of New Zealand.

“We'll have 30 players there. We'll choose a squad of 20 to play the ACT and then extra players will stay on because they'll be used to go and play against New Zealand in New Zealand a week after the ACT,” he said.

For Fulton, the next challenge is therefore not simply to preserve the team that delivered Olympic and Asian success, but to build the next generation around it.

The transition towards Los Angeles, he said, will begin with the Asian Champions Trophy and the opportunities it provides to widen India's competitive pool.