The legend has helped India win three consecutive golds and a silver in the most celebrated Olympics, viz. 1948, 1952, 1956. Under his captaincy, the national hockey team clinched silver in the 1960 Summer Olympics, Rome, Italy. Lucky enough, Claudius was born at times when Indian hockey tasted golden days. Apart from these accomplishments, he is remembered for being the first to earn 100 caps, and competed for India in addition to the Olympics, on their European tour of 1949, Malaysian tour of 1952, Australian and New Zealand tours of 1955, and Asian Games in 1958. The 1960 Olympics didn’t pause his game and he continued to impress the audience with remarkable performances domestically and retired finally after the 1965 season. In 1971, the Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri civil award making Claudius the sixth Indian hockey player to receive the adoration. 

Why did he go for Hockey instead of Football? 

Surprisingly, Leslie’s first love wasn’t hockey but football and was eligible to play for Bengal and Nagpur Railway. But fate has other plans for him. He was noticed by hockey player Dickie Carr. Carr was part of the national team in the 1936 Olympics, our last representation under British rule, and confirmed gold in a tough face-off against Germany. After being spotted by Carr, Leslie represented Bengal and Nagpur Railway in hockey in place of football. 

Sculpted India’s image in Olympics 

He became the first hockey player to participate in four Olympics. The last match was against the arch-rival Pakistan in 1960 and India placed second after a mettlesome match. After his withdrawal, he continued playing domestically and was conferred Padma Shri by the Government of India in 1971. He also provided services as the team manager at the 1978 Asian Games. 

The continued legacy

An Anglo-India, Leslie, took his heavenly abode after a long battle with liver cirrhosis at the age of 85 on 20 December 2012. He was survived by his wife and three sons. His son, Robert, represented India internationally at the 1978 World Cup in Mexico. 

Udham Singh and Leslie are the two names who’ve paved their way in the Guinness Book of World Records for claiming the most number of Olympic medals in hockey. At the time of the 2012 Olympics, the Bushey tube station was renamed after Claudius in the special ‘Olympic Legends Map’.

The post Leslie Claudius: Reminiscing Hockey stalwart who helped India win three consecutive Olympics Golds first appeared on The History Book of Indian Hockey.

The national men’s team remained undefeated in 1928, 1932, 1936. When the world was recovering from the devastation of World War II in 1948, team India was gearing up for another win in the year itself, followed by another victory in 1952 and then in Melbourne in 1956. 

Though India was now playing as an independent nation, the match the next day, December 6, 1956, appeared to be more difficult than before. They were about to face Pakistan. 

Hopes were sky-high, so was speculation. Little did they know this is going to be the emergence of the acclaimed India-Pakistan strife. 

An independent nation, India, was about to face for the first time another independent nation which had had to be an integral part of it. With no further question pointed, this was a heart-touching occasion for the nations and the players can sense that in the air.  

Captain Balbir Singh Sr revealed in his memoirs that he found it difficult to sleep the previous night before the match. But neither he nor other players could step back. In the tournament, Singh got himself hurt at the very first match thus he was unable to participate in the finals because of incomplete recovery.

Nevertheless, he was made to run to the podium on the insistence of the head coach Harbail Singh, which per him would give a strong message to rivals. 

“He told me that even if I wasn’t able to play my best hockey, my reputation was such that the opponent would use two players to mark me and it would free up space for my other forwards,” shared Balbir.

“My injury was kept a secret from the opposition and that I didn’t shake hands with anyone. Just waved. I took pain-killing injections at the start of the game and at halftime and managed to play,” he added further. 

It was the deciding day. Match began, both teams giving a tough competition to the opponents. None could secure a single goal for the first half. Little did they know India was about to take the lead in the second half. 

Just a few minutes passed in the second half, team India earned a penalty corner which was pushed by Udham Singh. Raghubir Lal trapped the ball perfectly for Randhir Singh Gentle, who swept his shot into the Pakistan goal, past the last defender.

Even though Shankar Laxman was playing his maiden Olympics, he performed outstandingly and kept Pakistan at bay, foiling many attempts at his goal. 

Yay, India made it to the medal and won the sixth consecutive Olympic Gold.

Besides, India scored an Olympic record of 38 goals in five matches, a count that remains unbroken to date. Forward Udham Singh finished with 15 goals, the maximum number of goals in an Olympic campaign.

The post The tale of India’s sixth Gold at the Olympics first appeared on The History Book of Indian Hockey.

“Overwhelmed to receive this letter from our Hon’ble PM @narendramodi ji. His constant support to athletes has motivated us to do our best at Tokyo2020. Sir, I am inspired by your passion for sport and pledge to continue my contribution to Indian sports. @PMOIndia @ianuragthakur,” Rupinder tweeted while attaching the appreciation letter by PM. 

In his social media post, overwhelmed Lakra expressed his gratitude and said, “We athletes contribute our life to the sport and when it is acknowledged by Hon’ble PM of the country, it feels like we have really done our bit for nation-building. Heartfelt thanks to Hon’ble Narendra Modi ji for his warm gesture. The time spent with you at the interaction after Tokyo 2020 will always remain memorable. Sir, I will surely take up the suggestion made by you regarding visits to 75 schools as part of #AzadiKaAmritMahotsav and continue to contribute to my country in my own little way.”

Lakra and Pal were both members of the Bronze clinching team at Tokyo. On September 30, Pal and Lakra announced his early retirement from the sport via social media platform citing “paving the way for youth to showcase their talents in the podium”

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had sent letters of appreciation to the staunch players for their contribution to the well-celebrated sport. 

In his letter to Pal, Modi wrote, “…I would like to personally thank you for all that you have done Indian hockey.” He pointed to Rupinder as a source of inspiration for Indian Hockey for the last decade and applauded him for his part in the resurgence of the sport in the country. 

The PM asked Rupinder to play his part in the Amrit Mahotsav by touring various schools across the country by August 2023. He also requested him to reach out to youngsters on ways to eliminate malnutrition plus promote the sport amongst them. 

“This would be a great service to the coming generations,” Modi added. 

The post Hockey Olympians moved by PM’s appreciation letters first appeared on The History Book of Indian Hockey.

To your knowledge, Asian Games are due next year and it is the direct qualification for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

In the Tokyo Olympics this year, India clinched a medal after a long wait of 41 years. The gleam of the Bronze victory hasn’t worn off yet and the news of the withdrawal of players, who contributed to this path-breaking achievement, caught everyone’s attention.

Staunch Rupinder Pal Singh has played 223 matches so far while stalwart Birendra Lakra played 200 matches, the last being in Tokyo, stressed on “time to allow the next generation of players to experience this great feeling for India” before leaving the stage for newcomers.

Evidently, the timing of such an announcement and gathering for the national team was not coincidental. Inside sources revealed that Rupinder, Lakra, and Sunil were all interested to carry on and expecting to “at least play till the 2022 Asian Games”, but the think-tank planned something different.

The alteration ritual after Olympics

It is not new to anyone that most of the nations opt for the “churn and change” policy after every Olympics cycle concentrating firmly on the players who can last the next four years. Fresh legs are called up and trained to get them going for the pinnacle of it all – the Olympics. And with India’s marvellous triumph at Tokyo, hopes are sky-high.

India has a glorious past at the Olympics, clinching a total of eight golds but failed to fetch any since 1980. Hence, it is understood why the federation, coaches and players don’t want to take a chance tasting victory after a wait of four decades.

Past one week the think-tank and the coaches held exclusive meetings with most of these players in New Delhi, and the players were informed that they were “no longer a part of the scheme of things for now, or even the future”, keeping in mind the next Olympics cycle. It was the termination point for them.

The players had two options, either to wait and watch until they got picked- which was unlikely- or sign off from the game. They chose the dignified way and retired than being dropped from the core group of next in the preference line.

However, retirements in hockey are infrequent. As a matter of fact, there are many players who haven’t announced their retirement until the present. But hockey too had to follow the trend par other sports and there are many dropped players waiting for their turn to get picked as the years passed by.

The last week’s incidents remind us of 2018 when famed midfielder and former captain Sardar Singh became India’s first top player in the recent past to officially announce his retirement.

It was September 2018, the national team had just landed in the country from their bronze-medal finish at the Jakarta Asian Games. The World Cup was due in just a few months at home. They had missed a direct opportunity to qualify for the Tokyo Games and also failed to defend their Asiad title, which had not gone down well with the think tank.

It is conceived that Sardar, who was not in the best of forms at that time, “was told that his services were no longer required”, leading to the hockey renowned’s exit from the game.

The list doesn’t end here, former midfielder Viren Rasquinha was possibly the first international player of modern times to proclaim his retirement hardly days after being omitted from the 2006 Doha Asian Games squad. In 2010, the legendary Dilip Tirkey quit after having represented India in a total of 412 matches, a record that still is unbroken.

India will miss its stars, but probably it was a decision best taken in the interest of the sport.

The post Why do Rupinder and Lakra retire so early? first appeared on The History Book of Indian Hockey.

Singh and Lakra were both members of the national hockey team led by Manpreet Singh that clinched at the Olympics after 41 years. Rupinder said it was time to pave the way for youngsters to play their chance at the international stage. While Lakra was the vice-captain in Tokyo.

India claiming victory over the Bronze at the 2020 Olympics (Tokyo) was an astonishing moment for the country, the occasion for which the country was waiting since 1980.

Singh (30) has played over 200 matches for India and is considered one of the best drag flickers in the world.

‘The past couple of months have undoubtedly been the best days of my life. Standing on the podium in Tokyo along with my teammates with whom I have shared some of the most incredible experiences of my life was a feeling I will cherish forever,” Singh wrote in the social media post.

“I believe it is time for me to make way for young and talented players to experience every great joy I have felt in these last 13 years of representing India,” he added.

It was 2010 at the Sultan Azlan Shah Tournament held in Ipoh, where he played his maiden international match with India clinching gold. His name was on feature continuously for many historic victories of India including the Asian Games (2014) triumph and the Asian Champions Trophy, 2016, where India won Gold. Though his name was dropped from the team briefly in 2018, he made his way back to the team and became a part of the team that triumphed in Tokyo.

Meantime, Mr Lakra has crawled his way up through the ranks of the junior team set-up to debut for the senior national team in the 2010 South Asian Games and was a part of team India’s witnessing glory in 2014 Asian Games, bronze Medal feat in the World League Final 2015 in Raipur, silver medal-winning campaign at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and FIH Men’s Series Finals Bhubaneswar Odisha 2019 among others.

In his well-established career, the two-time Olympian caught the eye in almost all the major tournaments, including the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup in 2014 and 2018. He, however, failed to take part in the Rio Olympics 2016 due to a knee injury and made a robust fightback to the Indian setup by playing an instrumental role in the team’s gold medal-winning accomplishment at the 2016 Asian Champions Trophy.

The post “It is time for the youngsters to come to fore,” Drag-flicker Rupinder Pal retires at 30 first appeared on The History Book of Indian Hockey.

Although he considers himself fortunate to be called up as an alternate player because of the Covid-19 pandemic and witness the high-spirited bronze medal-winning play. It was his debut in the Tokyo Olympics. 

Drag-flicker Varun Kumar and midfielder Simranjeet Singh have made their Olympic debut after both were incorporated into the national squad following the International Olympic Committee’s decision to allow “alternate athletes” in team events due to the ongoing pandemic.

“When the squad for the Olympics was announced, my name was not part of the 16-member squad. I still remember that day very well and I was evidently disappointed,” said Varun as quoted by the Scroll.in.

“But after a few days when the IOC allowed hockey teams to expand to 18 players, Simranjeet and I were called up as alternate athletes. It came as a huge relief but somewhere at the back of my mind I was still upset about not making it to the final 16 and I really wanted to prove myself,” he continued.

Kumar further added that it was skipper Manpreet Singh who helped him to keep his morale high before the team left for Tokyo. 

“It really helped that captain Manpreet had a long chat with me and pumped me up mentally. Manpreet has been a big influence in my career from a very young age as we played in the same academy and him talking to me made a lot of difference. I stopped beating myself up for not being good enough to make the 16-member squad. I started focusing on how I can make this opportunity count and deliver when the team needs me,” said Varun.

India’s play at the Tokyo Olympics was stupendous with the men’s team able to clinch an Olympic medal, bronze, after a long wait of 41 years. 

Varun played a vital role in the record-making match of India against Argentina. He scored the first goal followed by India’s win over the opponent 3-1. He was attentive backstage and dazzled the viewers with his performance every time he was called up. 

“It was indeed a fantastic experience in Tokyo. Winning the bronze and standing on the podium along with my teammates is perhaps the best moment of my life. Now my priority will be to improve in every aspect. We have had a good break after the Olympics and we are all waiting to return to camp in October,” he concluded. 

The post Defender Varun Kumar gives credit to Manpreet for influencing his career first appeared on The History Book of Indian Hockey.

This time quadrennial games were jam-packed with surprises, excitement and thrill. By playing semi-finals for the first time on the international stage, the women have already made the country proud. Their phenomenal performance gathered praises from all around the world. Although the women in blue stood fourth at the high-spirited game, their play was nonetheless unnoticed. 

The battle for the Bronze was adventurous and with a slight missing grasp, Great Britain claimed victory 4-3. The journey, however, wasn’t easy to the last history scripting match. India defeated three-times world champion Australia at the quarterfinals.

“I think staying in the present moment was the biggest reason why we could bounce back after facing three losses in the opening matches. It also helped us beat a strong team like Australia (in the quarterfinal) and eventually script history in Tokyo,” Udita said in a Hockey India release.

“As a youngster, we have learned so much from this historic campaign. We got to learn how to deal with massive pressure at the biggest of stages, and we also learned how staying in the present moment can help you do wonders,” added the 23-year-old hockey champion. 

Born in Hisar, Udita is presently a part of the 25-member senior women’s core probable for the national camp in SAI, Bengaluru. 

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While moving the resolution Tusharkanti Behera, Sports Minister, Odisha, said, “The Indian men’s team won the bronze medal. The team showed great resilience, skill and fitness. After 41 years, the team won a medal at the Olympics defeating the leading hockey-playing nations in the world. The Indian women’s team performance was beyond all expectations. They showed great fighting spirit. Even though they couldn’t win a medal, they won the hearts of the nation by finishing fourth.”

“On behalf of the House, I extend my greetings and congratulations to the Indian men and women hockey teams for their historic successes at the Tokyo Olympics and wish them more glory and laurels in the coming years,” he continued.

He also said that it’s a matter of pride for Odisha to be recognised as the force behind the triumph of the national teams at the Olympics.

Assuring that Odisha will continue supporting the sport with a glorious past in India, the minister said CM Naveen Patnaik has taken another historic step by announcing sponsorship to hockey for ten more years.

Odisha will be the home to Indian hockey and will continue to support it till India becomes a world champion, he added. 

“We are organising the men’s hockey World Cup in January 2023 and India’s largest hockey stadium is being built in Rourkela for the mega event. We are investing in grassroot-level hockey training centres. A high-performance centre has been established at the Kalinga Stadium. Many boys and girls from Odisha will represent the country in the coming years,” he stated.

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While remembering the match day, goalkeeper Savita said, “Now that I have finally had some time to reflect on our performance, I do feel we achieved something outstanding, and the best part was the journey to get here over the past five years. We have endured a lot as a team and as individuals faced tremendous odds to reach this level. I think we will always cherish this journey.”

“Though we lost very closely to Argentina in the semi-finals, we wanted to give our everything against Great Britain and we really wanted that medal around our necks and after beating Australia, we really believed this was achievable,” continued Savita, as quoted by The New Indian Express. She is among six players who have been nominated for the FIH awards. In the category of Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year award, her name is suggested along with Argentina’s Belen Succi and Great Britain’s Maddie Hinch.

Savita broke into tears after losing the adventurous Bronze medal match at the Tokyo Olympics. Her being consoled by the team’s Analytical Coach Jenneke Schopman depicted the entire nation’s feelings. The women in blue were regarded as the underdogs of the tournament. They stood 12th in Rio Olympics and a handful of people have predicted them to be medal competitors in Tokyo.

“But now I feel the expectations will grow. People have seen that we can perform at top tournaments, and I believe we can live up to these expectations. We now have the experience, and the team is poised to achieve bigger feats. The experience in Rio made us believe in ourselves and we really worked hard to get to this level, now we will work on taking it to the next level,” added she.

Savita said the team’s next goal is to play their best in the calendar year 2022. With a gap of just three years to the next Olympics, their focus is to dispose of outstanding matches at the upcoming Commonwealth Games and Asian Games, aiming mainly to get on the podium in Paris.

“I actually can’t wait to return to camp in SAI, Bengaluru. It has become a place of comfort for us. There has been a lot of celebrations following the Olympics and now it’s time to get back to reality. Next year is crucial with the Asian Games and our priority will be to win Gold so we automatically qualify for the Paris Olympics. We will resume training with that target in mind,” she concluded.

The post We aim for Paris now, says goalkeeper Savita Punia first appeared on The History Book of Indian Hockey.

Vivek was part of the national team that claimed Bronze at the recently concluded Tokyo Olympics. To him, this is a dreamlike moment as he has already been honoured with the award in the 2019-2020 season.

“I never imagined this would happen again. It is a surreal feeling to have been nominated for the second time in the same category (FIH Rising Star of the Year Award),” expressed Vivek graciously.

“I got to know this late in the night when I saw texts from my friends congratulating me. To be honest, it’s really overwhelming,” he continued, as quoted by The Hindu. 

The Indian Hockey body prepared the shortlist of all the divisions of FIH Awards 2020-21.

“It’s the result of teamwork and the support of senior players,” said the 21-year old while expressing gratitude to his seniors. 

“Since my debut, the seniors have been the biggest source of motivation. They have helped me play my natural game without any fear or pressure. That is the biggest reason why I could win the 2019 FIH Rising Star of the Year Award and also stand a chance to receive the honour for the second time,” he added further. 

He also pops off his feelings of winning the Bronze against Germany at the quadrennial games. “I still can’t believe I was part of the Olympic medal-winning team,” he voiced.

“It’s a dream of every athlete and I am really blessed to be able to live this dream at the age of 21.”

Asserting about the efforts put down by the team to execute an exemplary play in the next game, Vivek said, “…this is just the beginning and there’s still a lot of room for improvement. We have raised the bar and we have to do even better. There will be more challenges ahead and we need to be fully prepared for whatever comes our way.”

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