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Kakamigahara: Ashish Tani Purti starred with a hat-trick as the Indian U-18 men’s hockey team was crowned champion of the Men’s U-18 Asia Cup 2026 after defeating hosts Japan 4-1 in the final in Kakamigahara, Japan, on Saturday.

Purti scored in the 2nd, 28th, and 34th minutes, while captain Ketan Kushwaha (30′) also found the back of the net as India came up with a commanding display against the hosts to lift the title. Numada Gaku (52′) scored Japan’s lone goal of the contest.

To recognize the teams’ achievements, Hockey India announced a cash award of INR 3 lakh for each player of the gold medal-winning Indian U-18 men’s hockey team and INR 1.5 lakh for each member of the support staff. Hockey India also announced a cash award of INR 1 lakh for each player of the Indian U-18 Women’s Hockey Team, who secured the bronze medal earlier in the day, along with INR 50,000 for each member of the support staff.

Ashish Tani Purti was awarded Player of the Match for his stellar performance in the final and was also recognized as the tournament’s Top Scorer with an impressive 13 goals. India further dominated the individual honors with goalkeeper Ayush Rajak being named the Best Goalkeeper of the tournament. In the women’s competition, India’s Nausheen Naz emerged as the Top Scorer with 12 goals, capping off a memorable campaign for India at the Men’s and Women’s U-18 Asia Cup 2026. IANS