The International Hockey Federation (FIH) on Tuesday officially announced the world rankings post the Champion Trophy with the Indian men entering the top-five club.
As confirmed by Sportstar earlier, India’s runner-up finish at London helped it leapfrog Belgium and Argentina to climb two places on the rankings.
>Read: India leaps to fifth spot
The Asian Games winning performance also contributed to India’s climb. The team is now only seven points away from Great Britain (1,550), which was placed fourth at the 2012 Olympics, with 1,543 points.
World champion and Champions Trophy winner Australia retained the top spot, followed by the Netherlands and Olympic champion Germany in third. India is also the highest ranked Asian side with Korea next at ninth spot. This is the first time the Indian team has made it to the top-five since 2004 and is currently 68 points ahead of fifth-placed Belgium, which finished fifth at London.
Among the women, USA was the biggest gainer, climbing two spots to fifth after winning the bronze at the Champions Trophy. Argentina’s record 13th title at the Champions Trophy was not enough as the team stayed second behind the top-ranked Dutch women.
Australia and New Zealand remained third and fourth respectively while the Indian women remained 13th.
While the rankings will next be updated after the Olympics, the current rankings will have no impact on the pools at the Olympic Games, which have already been finalised based on the rankings as on January 1.
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