New Delhi: Olympian and best player of hockey and Padma Shri Balbir Singh Dosanjh Sr, who won 3 consecutive Olympic gold medals in hockey for India, is regarded as the best centre-forward player ever in the history of Indian hockey. After the Indian hockey team's second hat-trick of Olympic gold in 1948, 1952 and 1956, his sporting prowess has made the country celebrate several times.
Born on October 10, 1924, to Karam Kaur and Dalip Singh Dosanjh, a freedom fighter in Punjab, Balbir Singh spent his early years without his father, who in those days traveled and was jailed at times. Hockey started attracting him from an early age. He started playing hockey at the age of five. Then, when, at the age of 12, he saw the Indian hockey team win its third Olympic gold medal in 1936, Balbir Singh Sr knew what to do next in his life.
He made his debut as a goalkeeper and then started playing in the last four. But he first got a good idea of his skills when he got a chance to play as a striker in a local tournament. He found his true identity. After that he never looked back. He suffered a heart attack on May 12, 2020 and on May 25, the great hockey player bid farewell to the world.
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