India’s Legendary Olympic Hockey Hero Singh Dies at 95

Balbir Singh, who won three Olympic hockey golds for India and became one of his 's biggest sporting heroes, died at the age of 95, said his family on Monday.

Singh was in the teams that won the Olympic title in London in 1948 and Helsinki in 1952, led the side that won in Melbourne in 1956. His five goals in the Netherlands' 6-1 defeat in 1952 remain a record for the Olympic final.

India beat Britain 's former colonial power 4-0 in 1948 final, which came only a few months after Britain's troubled independence.

Singh scored two of India’s goals at Wembley stadium and became one of the biggest stars of the Games. “I was on top of the world,” he said later.

“It was very special to beat the former rulers in their country.”

Singh was also the manager of the Indian side that won the 1975 World Cup. “He was a hard taskmaster,” said Ajit Pal Singh, who was captain of the 1975 team.

“I still remember how he imbibed, self-belief and unity which helped us to win,” Pal Singh told Press Trust of India news agency.

Singh was one of the main players in India's golden age of hockey dominance. The men's squad has not won the Olympic title since their eighth gold medal at the Moscow Games in 1980.

Singh had been in the hospital for three heart attacks in recent weeks.

Source: AFP