| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Leslie Walter Claudius | ||
| Born | (1927-03-25)25 March 1927 Bilaspur,British India | ||
| Died | 20 December 2012(2012-12-20) (aged 85) Kolkata,West Bengal, India | ||
| Height | 5 ft 4 in (163 cm) | ||
| Playing position | Halfback | ||
| Senior career | |||
| Years | Team | ||
| – | Bengal Nagpur Railway | ||
| – | Calcutta Customs | ||
| National team | |||
| Years | Team | Caps | |
| 1948–1960 | India | 100+ | |
Medal record | |||
Leslie Walter Claudius (25 March 1927[1] – 20 December 2012[2]) was an Indianfield hockey player[3] fromBilaspur. He studied in South Eastern Railway (Now SECR) English Medium School Bilaspur, which has produced many national sportsmen.
Leslie Claudius shares withUdham Singh the distinction of being one of the only two Indian players to win four Olympic medals in field hockey. To his gold medals in1948,1952 and1956, he added a silver in1960 when he captained the team that reached the final against Pakistan. He was the first player ever to earn 100 caps, and competed for India, in addition to the Olympics, on their European tour of 1949, Malaysian tour of 1952, Australian and New Zealand tours of 1955, and at the 3rdAsian Games in 1958. After the 1960 Olympics, he continued to compete domestically, retiring after the 1965 season. In 1971, he became the sixth Indian hockey player to be given thePadma Shri Civil award by the Indian government.
Leslie Claudius had joined Calcutta Customs Department as Preventive Officer and retired as Assistant Collector of Customs. He was a member of Calcutta Customs Club and represented the Calcutta Port Customs Commissionerate in the Aga Khan Tournament in 1948. Leslie Claudius not only brought international glory but also kept the Calcutta Customs Club flag flying high.[1]
Claudius was initially interested infootball and as an accomplished player, he got a chance to play for the Bengal and Nagpur Railway.[4] But, his talent in field hockey was spotted by Dickie Carr, who was a part of the Indian team that won the gold medal at the1936 Olympics. Claudius was then inducted into the Bengal and Nagpur Railway hockey team that Carr was a part of. The team finished second in theBeighton Cup and Claudius quit football for hockey.[5]
Claudius was a member of India's generation of hockey that won the Olympic gold in1948,1952 and1956 and silver in1960.[1] He was the first hockey player to have competed in four Olympics and also the first to earn a hundred international caps.[6] He captained the Indian team for the first team in 1959, withDhyan Chand, often considered India's greatest hockey player ever as the coach, and led them to the second-place finish at the1960 Olympics inRome.[5]
Claudius was appointed as the manager of the Indian team in 1978 for theBangkok Asian Games.
Leslie Walter Claudius was born to a middle classAnglo-Indian family. His son, Robert, was also an Indian international who represented his country at the World Cup in Argentina in 1978. Leslie died after a prolonged battle with cirrhosis of liver.[7] Leslie had three more sons, one who stayed with him in Kolkata and two who live in Melbourne. His son Robert (Bobby) Claudius played Hockey World Cup inArgentina for India in 1978; he died the same year in Kolkata (then Calcutta) in a road accident.
Claudius died inKolkata on 20 December 2012, after a prolonged battle withcirrhosis of liver. He was survived by his wife and three sons. He is buried inLower Circular Road cemetery,Kolkata.
Cited sources
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