Hockey Icon Balbir Singh Sr expires at 96.

The Indian Hockey legend was a three-time Olympic gold medalist and holds the record of most goals scored in a final.

Indian Hockey icon Balbir Singh Sr, at 96, passed away at a Mohali hospital, on Monday morning. Balbir Singh Sr was a legend of the sport, winning Olympics gold three times. Singh had been admitted to the hospital earlier this month, on May 8th due to pneumonia and was on support of a ventilator. At 6:17 am he breathed his last on Monday. 

Balbir Singh Sr’s full name was Balbir Singh Dosanjh but to differentiate from other five Balbirs who played in later years for India, he was called a senior. Singh was the part of the Indian Hockey Team squad who won the gold at the London Olympics in 1948. He was vice-captain when India again won Olympics gold in 1952 and went on to lead his nation at the Olympics in Australia to another gold medal. Born in the village called Haripur Khalsa, Singh will go down in history as one of the best centre forwards India has produced. Singh started as a goalkeeper in his school days thereafter becoming a defender before maturing to a forward player.

Balbir Singh Sr. holds the record of scoring most goals in a final by an individual at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics against the Netherlands. He scored five goals in that final, a record that is still intact even today. 

After his retirement, Singh had ventured into coaching becoming the chief-coach of the Indian Team. He served 21 years as a coach and led India to it’s first and only Hockey World Cup triumph in 1975. Many sporting personalities and Hockey legends took to Twitter to mourn and remember the Icon of Indian Hockey and Indian sport.