PENALTY KING PRITHIPAL
He was dubbed the world’s most feared penalty corner specialist
Played in three successive Olympic Games hockey competitions for India.
1960 Rome Olympics — Silver
1964 Tokyo Olympics — GOLD
1968 Mexico Olympics — Bronze
At the Tokyo Olympics he netted eleven of the 22 goals India scored.
After India’s disappointing display in Mexico, Prithipal retired from the sport.
Was born in Nankana Sahib ( now Pakistan) on 28 January 1932 to a school teacher father ( Sadar Wadhawa Singh), who was also an agriculturalist.
He excelled in sports and studies earning himself a Masters in Science degree from the Punjab Agriculture University.
After graduating he joined Punjab Police and had toured Africa and Europe.
On retiring from hockey after the Mexico Olympics, he became the Sports & Student Welfare Director at Punjab Agriculture University.
May 20th 1983 Prithipal was murdered. The killers to date have never been traced.
Prithipal was the first hockey player to be decorated the ARJUNA Award (1961) and the PADMA SHRI Award (1967).
A movie based on his gun biography “PRITHIPAL SINGH”, was released in 2015.
Prithipal…. a forgotten hockey legend.
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