Coach Balkrishen Singh took a calculated risk by selecting an untested team at Moscow in 1980. Aside of skipper Bhaskaran and goalkeeper Chetri, none had been to an Olympic before.
Balkrishen felt that a depleted field could be an opportunity to blood a fresh crop of players. The move was fraught with risk and sceptics felt that Spain and USSR -- among the top four European teams at that time alongside Holland and Germany -- could push India further into hockey oblivion.
The warning signs were up early in Moscow when in the round robin league India drew with both Poland and Spain. The ignominy of not making it to the final lurked and only an inspired 4-2 win against USSR ensured a place in the final. It was Balkrishen’s shrewd tactical acumen that laid the foundation for a 4-3 final win against Spain.
Core to the team’s success was the ability to counter attack with speed and to strike with impunity. Kaushik, Mervyn, Sodhi, Shahid and Zafar attacked in waves. The famed Spanish defence with Juan Amat in its ranks seemed nonplussed by our brazen attacking approach which was different from the earlier match in the league.
Just as it seemed that we would be taking the match in a canter, Spain coached by Horst Wein shot back to make it 4-3. Skipper Bhaskaran’s cool mind in marshalling the midfield and some brilliant defence by Dung Dung during the final few minutes salvaged a heartening victory.
Hearing the sound of the national anthem on a victory podium of an Olympic is the dream of any sportsman. I was fortunate to get that vibe in my very first international tournament. For me playing for the first time on artificial surface with and against some of the best players was an invaluable learning. I was delighted to be a small contributor in the memorable win.
Importantly, Balkrishen’s ploy of fielding a lot of us greenhorns had worked, just about!
The American led boycott at Moscow had deprived some of the leading lights of world sport a stage to parade their talent. Yet the fluent movements of Romanian Nadia Comaneci, the scientific boxing of Cuban Teófilo Stevenson and the duel between Britishers Steve Ovett and Seb Coe in the middle distance races are memories that I still cherish.
The pageantry of the Opening and Closing ceremonies at Moscow were a visual treat. So was life at the Olympic Village.
Life was kind to me and gave me an opportunity to play in two more Olympics - at Los Angeles and Seoul. Both were equally exhilarating experiences and gave me a chance to again compete against the best.
While focus at all the Games was steadfast on the matches and afforded limited time to let our guard down. On the few occasions that we hung out at the parks in the Olympic Villages, it gave us a chance to savour the incomparable ambience and to mingle with legends.
Carl Lewis, Ben Johnson, Steffi Graf, Gabriella Sabatini and a host of others from myriad sports stood in line like all of us at the jumbo sized cafeterias in the Villages. Shorn of an entourage and hangers on they were relaxed and in a happy space.
Highlighting the fact that while the Olympic Games is a litmus test of sporting caliber it is also a major unifying movement and a melting pot of cultures.
A treasure trove of memories keeps spirits up even now after so many decades.
One of the most enduring images is of Misha (the cuddly Moscow mascot) waving a tearful goodbye at the closing ceremony as it flew away into the evening sky.
Maneyapanda Muthanna Somaya is a former Indian field hockey player from Coorg, Karnataka. He was a member of Indian squad in many international games, including the team that won the Gold medal at the 1980 Moscow Summer Olympic Games.
