Struggle continues but Tigers get last chance for Olympics in Muscat

Out of contention: Malaysian players look dejected after the 4-4 draw with China in the group stage which saw them failing to reach the semi-finals of the Asian Games in Hangzhou.

PETALING JAYA: The national hockey team had the chance to make history at the Asian Games by winning Malaysia’s first hockey gold and confirming their 2024 Paris Olympics spot but instead, they had undone a good build-up to end 2023 on a low.

The Speedy Tigers, after a fine performance in the Asian Champions Trophy (ACT) in Chennai a month before the Asiad, had given renewed hopes that A. Arulselvaraj’s players were on the right track to break their hoodoo at the continental championships.