Australian men, women qualify for Beijing Olympics
(Agencies)
Updated: 2007-09-18 17:23

BUDERIM, Australia - Australia's defending Olympic champion men's field hockey team and its women's side both qualified for the 2008 Beijing Games on Sunday.

The men's team, which won gold in Athens in 2004, beat New Zealand 3-1. The Kiwis will now attempt to qualify for the Olympics through a second-chance tournament in February in Auckland against India.

The Australian women's team advanced along with New Zealand to Beijing, despite the Australians losing 1-0 to the Kiwis in the final match of an Oceania tournament Sunday. Both teams in the four-country women's tournament advanced to the Olympics.

The loss ended Australia's 18-game unbeaten streak, a run that rivaled its dominance while holding the women's No 1 ranking between 1993 and 2000.

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