Gurbux Singh

Last updated

Gurbux Singh Grewal
Personal information
Nationality India
Born (1936-02-11) 11 February 1936 (age 88)
Peshawar, North-West Frontier Province, British India (in present-day Pakistan)
Sport
Sport Field hockey
EventMen's team
Medal record
Men's field hockey
Representing Flag of India.svg  India
Olympic Games
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1964 Tokyo Team
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 1968 Mexico City Team
Asian Games
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1966 Bangkok Team

Gurbux ("Gurbakhsh") Singh (born 11 February 1936) is a former Indian field hockey player who was a member of the Indian team that won the gold medal at the 1964 Summer Olympics, the bronze medal at the 1968 Summer Olympics and the gold medal at the 1966 Asian Games. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] He was the joint captain of the Indian team at the 1968 Summer Olympics. He was also the coach of the Indian team at the 1976 Summer Olympics. For his outstanding contribution to the country in the field of sports, Gurbux received the Arjuna Award in 1966.

Contents

Early life

Gurbux Singh was born at Peshawar but grew up in Rawalpindi. After the partition of India, the family first moved to Lucknow, then to Mhow and finally to Meerut from where he did his graduation. He moved to Calcutta in 1957, a city which ultimately became his permanent home and shaped his sports career. Gurbux initially tried his hand at badminton but then started playing hockey for his school in Lucknow.

Gurbux started hockey at the age of 16. He represented Agra University in 1954–55 and a year later won the Obaidullah Gold Cup Hockey Championship. Gurbux Singh first played for East Bengal Club in 1957, and was influential in their first victory at the Beighton Cup that year. He later represented Calcutta Customs Club from 1957 to 1965, followed by Mohun Bagan Athletic Club from 1968 to 1980. He had a distinguished career in domestic hockey.

International career

A skilled full-back player, Singh made his international debut in a tour of Australia and New Zealand in 1960, and also participated in the International Hockey Tournament in 1962. By 1963, he was made captain, and led the team that won the gold medal at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and the 1966 Bangkok Asian Games. He also led India on tours of Germany and Japan in 1966, Sri Lanka in 1967 and the Pre-Olympic tournament in London in 1967. In the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, he shared captaincy with Prithipal Singh, where India won the bronze medal. He is considered to be one of the greatest Indian hockey players of all time.

After retiring from internationals in 1968, Singh took to coaching and umpiring. He coached France in 1974–75 and India during the 1976 Montreal Olympics. A national selector in 1973 and again from 1980 to 1985, he was the manager of the Indian team to the 1973 World Cup and the 1983 Champions Trophy.

Singh was conferred with the Arjuna Award after the Indian team's victory at the 1966 Asian Games. In 2013, he received the Banga Bibhushan, a title instituted by the West Bengal government to honour distinguished achievements in various fields. In 2018, he was awarded Bharat Gaurav by East Bengal Club. [6]

He is known for having served Indian hockey for over 50 years in various capacities, and is credited for doing much to better the state of Indian hockey.

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "Gurbux Singh – Biography and Statistics". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com . Archived from the original on 3 December 2016. Retrieved 28 January 2017.
  2. ↑ "Gurbux Singh — Biographical information — Results". olympedia.org. Olympedia. Archived from the original on 12 October 2023.
  3. ↑ "Sikh Hockey Olympics: Gurbux Singh". sikhhockeyolympians.com. The Sikh Hockey Olympians. Archived from the original on 5 October 2011. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
  4. ↑ "BHA facilitates Gurbux Singh". thehindu.com. Kolkata: The Hindu. 1 June 2013. Archived from the original on 12 October 2023. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
  5. ↑ "Olympics profile – India – Hockey: Gurbux Singh". databaseolympics.com. Olympics Database. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  6. ↑ "East Bengal seek a 'new identity' on foundation day". The Times of India. 2 August 2018. Archived from the original on 2 August 2018. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
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