Hyderabad: Legendary hockey player Balbir Singh Sr, a three-time Olympic gold medallist, breathed his last at around 6.30 am on Monday at a Chandigarh hospital. He was 95. He had been struggling with multiple age-related illnesses for the last two weeks. He was admitted at the hospital on May 8.
Regarded as one of the greatest hockey players of India, Balbir had been fighting a pulmonary illness over the last two years. It required him to be admitted to the intensive care unit multiple times.
When he played, hockey was an immensely popular sport in India. According to Balbir Singh Sr. it was the “darling sport” of the nation.
His emergence after the retirement of hockey's crème de la crème, Dhyan Chand, poured a fresh air of hope in Indian hockey. In the post Dhyan Chand era, he dazzled on the hockey field like no other. He was well known for his sense of fair play. His indomitable spirit was a symbol of his game. He was said to be the fittest in the team and most innovative on the field. His silky skills left opponents with no option but to watch him scoring goals in awe. He was unstoppable. People who saw him play would tell better about his game reading ability and sweet timing in placing the ball. He developed an astonishing ball controlling ability and hardly lost control over the ball.
An excellent athlete himself, Balbir Singh Sr. had huge respect for sportspersons of other disciplines. He would often talk about athletes of other sports with a touch of respect, but never talked about his own skills and role in India's Olympic gold wins. He achieved so much in his life yet lived a grounded life. It was his modesty to not speak of his own feats.
As he left the materialistic world for cosmic world, we remember the legendary career of the excellent hockey player. Let's look at the legacy he left behind.
Inspired by Dhyan Chand
Born on 10 October 1924 in Punjab's Jalandhar district, Balbir Singh Sr. took up hockey after watching Dhyan Chand and Co. clinching gold in three consecutive Olympics. He was just 13 when Dhyan Chand won the Berlin 1936 gold. It was former India coach Harbail Singh who spotted the talented teenager and took him under his wing and helped him polish skills. The rest, as they say, is history.
Won independent India's 1st hockey gold in Olympics
Balbir Singh Sr. won his first gold in the 1948 London Olympics, India's first after independence. He scored a brace and defeated Great Britain 4-0 in the final. This was India's fourth hockey gold in four Olympics. But he also had to cope with the harsh treatment meted out to him at the London Olympics. He was dropped twice from the team despite scoring six goals against Argentina, including a hat-trick, in his debut match of the Olympics.