Mumbai
Balbir Singh Sr, the legend of Indian hockey, passed away in Chandigarh in early hours of Monday, creating a big vacuum in the hockey fraternity which can never be filled.
Singh, who started his hockey career as a goalkeeper before moving up as a full-back, eventually went on to mesmerise the global defence with his stick-work which took all of the defenders by storm.
Singh will be remembered for having leading India in three Olympic Games and in 1975, for managing the Indian team that brought home the 1975 World Cup.
One of the country's most accomplished athletes, he was an iconic center-forward at a time when hockey was in its halcyon days in newly independent India and was the country's claim to international acclaim. Singh was the only Indian among 16 legends chosen by the International Olympic Committee across modern Olympic history.
His world record for most goals scored by an individual in the men's hockey final of the Olympics still remains unbeaten.
He had scored five goals in India's 6-1 victory over the Netherlands in the gold medal match of the 1952 Helsinki Games. He was conferred the Padma Shri in 1957.
Singh's three Olympic gold medals came in London (1948), as vice-captain in Helsinki (1952) as vice-captain, and as captain in Melbourne (1956).
He was the manager of India's only World Cup-winning side in 1975.
A legend in field hockey, Singh is perhaps a name not many will include in their list of all-time greatest Indian athletes but his name should be taken in the same vein as Major Dhyan Chand, Sachin Tendulkar, et al.
His contribution to field hockey, especially in independent India, was unparalleled.
His achievements go beyond the three Olympic medals and mere words will not suffice to describe his impact on field hockey, just like that of Dhyan Chand.
Regarded as the greatest centre-forward in the sport, Singh and sprint legend Milkha Singh were so popular that they never required an appointment to meet Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. “It’s true. We could meet him at short notice. He loved hockey,” Singh had once said.
He also played a key role in all three gold-medal-winning performances in the Summer Games. Under his captaincy, India scored 38 goals and conceded none on its way to the gold medal in 1956 Melbourne Olympics.
Beating England 4-0 in their backyard during the final of the 1948 Olympic Games, after India won Independence, was Singh's 'greatest moment’.
He is also the only Asian male and the only Indian among 16 athletes to have been chosen as ‘Iconic Olympians’ by the International Olympic Committee across the history of the modern Olympics. An iconic Olympian is one whose example "tells of human strength and endeavour, of passion, determination, hard work and achievement and demonstrates the values of the Olympic Movement".
He was also a member of the Indian hockey team that won the silver medal at the 1958 Asian Games. Not only was he one of the greatest hockey players but he was also one of the most successful coaches that India has ever had.
Singh coached the Indian team which won the bronze medal at the 1971 World Cup and was the manager of the Indian team that won the gold medal at the 1975 World Cup.
For his stellar contribution to the game, he was awarded the Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest civilian honour in 1957, and was conferred with the Major Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award by Hockey India in 2014.
