Indonesia Targets Bronze After Missing Final in Hockey Qualifiers

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - After falling short of a place in the final, Indonesian women’s field hockey team is shifting focus to securing a bronze medal at the 2026 Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya Qualifiers in Jakarta.

Head coach Dhaarma Raj said finishing third would still mark progress for the team, which has already qualified for the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya despite a narrow 2-3 semifinal loss to Taiwan at the Gelora Bung Karno Hockey Field on Tuesday night, April 28, 2026,

“A bronze medal is still a good result for Indonesia, considering we finished fifth in the 2022 qualifiers. We need to keep the players motivated,” Dhaarma said after the match, as quoted by Antara.

Indonesia took the lead in the semifinal twice, first through Innes Aditya in the 14th minute, before Taiwan equalized via Yi-Chin Zhu five minutes later.

The hosts regained the advantage in the third quarter when Salma Maulani converted a penalty corner in the 34th minute. However, missed chances to extend the lead proved costly.

Taiwan capitalized, equalizing through Ya-Han Lai before the same player scored again from a penalty corner to seal a 3-2 comeback victory. Dhaarma highlighted his team’s inability to maintain their lead as a key issue, pointing to mental resilience as an area for improvement.

“We lacked mental strength. We led twice, and this is something we must learn from. The goals we conceded were gifts, we handed them the win,” he added.

Indonesia will now face Singapore in the third-place match on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. Jakarta time, a team they previously defeated 2-0 in the Pool B stage.

Team captain Nisa Indira emphasized the squad’s determination to bounce back. “I always tell the team not to regret what has passed. We still have a chance, and we must take it. It won’t be easy, but we don’t want to feel like we did today,” she said.

On the same day, Taiwan will meet Bangladesh in the final at 8 p.m. Jakarta time, marking their second encounter after a 5-5 draw in Pool A. ***