Major Dhyan Chand: Facts about the wizard with a hockey stick
krishna murthy
The day marks the birth anniversary of Major Dhyan Chand Singh who won gold medals in the Olympics for India in 1928, 1932 and 1936. Major Dhyan Chand scored 570 goals in his career.
But that’s not the only reason why he is regarded as the greatest sportsperson ever born in the country. Read on to know some interesting facts about the legend:
Born and brought up in Allahabad, Dhyan Chand was called 'Chand' by his fellow people because he would often practice hockey at night under the moonlight, after his duty hours
At the age of 16, he joined the Indian Army. Chand started playing hockey under the supervision of Subedar Major Tiwari, who was himself a sports lover.
Dhyan Chand was the leading goal-scorer at the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics with 14 goals.
His performance in the 1936 Berlin Olympic final is considered to be among the best hockey performances of all time. He scored three goals in the match which helped India win the game against Germany by 8-1
He is also known as ‘Wizard Major’ Dhyan Chand for his mastery with the stick and the control over the ball.
In August 1956, he retired from the Indian Army as a lieutenant and was consequently honored with the Padma Bhushan award, India's third-highest civilian honor.
Dhyan Chand took his last breath on December 3, 1979. He died due to liver cancer.