World No. 2 Germany won the gold medal of the Olympic men's hockey tournament on Saturday, defeating Spain 1-0.

It was the Germany's first gold since the Barcelona Games in 1992.

Germany did not take a 1-0 lead until the 16th minute when Christopher Zeller converted a penalty corner.

Though Spain tried hard to crack down the German defence, they were finally denied a goal. Germany held on 1-0 to the very end.

Spain, the silver medallists at Atlanta Games in 1996, repeated their medal tonight. Ranked fourth in the world, they came in the final as astonishers, ousting world champions Australia 3-2 in the semifinals Thursday.

(Xinhua News Agency August 23, 2008)