 Singh at the 1960 Summer Olympics | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
28 January 1932 Nankana Sahib, British India | ||
| Died |
20 May 1983 (aged 51) Ludhiana, Punjab, India | ||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Weight | 71 kg (157 lb) | ||
| Playing position | Halfback | ||
| Senior career | |||
| Years | Team | ||
| Punjab Police[1] | |||
| National team | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| India | |||
Medal record | |||
Prithipal Singh (28 January 1932 – 20 May 1983) was an Indian field hockey player who played as a halfback. He was a member of the India national team that won a gold medal at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, and silver and bronze at the 1960 Rome Olympics and bronze at the 1968 Mexico Olympics respectively.
Singh was nicknamed the 'King of short corner' by hockey commentators.[2] He was known for sharp reflexes, tremendous strength in his long and powerful arms produced firm and sticking shots which unfailingly fetched him goals and often the winners.[2] The Evening Post (New Zealand) commented in 1961 that to face the fury of Prithipal's hit is to risk one's life.[citation needed] Another author commented that if Arjuna was the maharathi (great warrior) of the Mahabharata war, Prithipal was the maharathi of the International Hockey game.[citation needed] The first-ever Arjuna Award to a hockey player was conferred upon him in 1961, which was later followed by the Padma Shri in 1967.[2]
- ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Prithipal Singh". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020.
- ^ a b c Gandhi, S.S. (2001) "India's Highest Sports Awards and Those Who Won Them", Defence Review.