INDIAN HOCKEY LEGEND: Udham Singh
Indian hockey legend Udham Singh was only the second Olympian after Claudius to win three gold and a silver at Olympics. Like Claudius, he was short in stature but was about a year and a half years older. The duo is the only one to win such an honour in the history of hockey.
But for an injury to a finger just before the departure of the team for the London Olympics, Udham would have played five Olympics! He was a few days away from celebrating his 20th birthday when the chance went begging.
He played the first of his four Olympics at Helsinki in 1952 where India played just three matches, all-important knock-outs — quarterfinals, semi-finals, and final – to successfully defend the title. Udham did not get much chance here to show his scoring prowess.
He got it in amble measure four years later at Melbourne. The 28-year old was in top form. He netted as many as 12 goals in the pool. His 13th and last goal at Melbourne was a historic one. It paved way for Independent India’s third and overall sixth straight Olympic gold. He struck the only goal in the semi-finals that sealed Germany’s fate and India’s entry into the final.
The DAV College alumnus repeated the feat four years later at Rome. It was another European superpower Great Britain that did not allow the Indians to score till Udham Singh undid them. Like a hawk, despite being 32, Udham showed alacrity and briskness to pounce on a penalty corner rebound to find the net. Again, a solitary goal in an Olympic semifinal coming from the same player.
The silent contributor, worldly-wise, was focussed mostly on the domestic circuit with astonishing longevity when the Indian Hockey Federation thought of utilizing his services for the 1964 Olympics. He was 36!
The team with Udham Singh in it did not disappoint. They regained lost gold.