| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1931-02-03)3 February 1931 Mairi Village, Punjab,British India |
| Died | 27 January 2022(2022-01-27) (aged 90) Una, Himachal Pradesh, India |
Medal record | |
Charanjit Singh (3 February 1931[a] – 27 January 2022) was an Indianfield hockey player who was the captain of the team that won the gold medal at the1964 Summer Olympics inTokyo. He was also a member of the team that won the silver medal at the1960 Summer Olympics inRome and the1962 Asian Games inJakarta.
Singh was a recipient of the Indian government'sArjuna Award in 1963 and thePadma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian honor, in 1964.
Singh was born on 3 February 1931 inMairi Village in the Amb subdivision ofUna district in present dayHimachal Pradesh (thenPunjab,British Raj). Charanjit Singh was an alumnus ofCol. Brown Cambridge School,[2][3]Dehradun and was exposed to hockey during his time there.[4][5] Singh graduated with aBachelor of Science degree from the Government Agricultural College,Lyallpur (in modern-day Pakistan). During this time, he representedPanjab University.[6]
Singh started his career representingPunjab Police and was picked for the Indian team in the early 1950s, playing as a midfielder (also referred to as center-half) in a team that includedLeslie Claudius,Keshav Dutt, andJoseph Antic, all playing in the midfield position.[6][7]
Singh was the captain of theIndian hockey team that won the gold medal at the1964 Summer Olympics inTokyo. He was also a member of the team that won the silver medal at theField hockey at the 1960 Summer Olympics inRome.[5] He also represented India in twoAsian Games, including the1962 Asian Games inJakarta.[4][5] He is credited with returning the gold medal to the Indian team in 1964, when earlier in both the 1962 Asian games and in the 1960 Olympics, the country had lost in the finals to Pakistan.[5][7] Singh had missed the final against Pakistan due to an injury.[7] In 1964, under Singh's captaincy, the Indian team won a few tournaments leading up to the Olympics, and remained unbeaten in the Olympics, winning seven matches and drawing two, before defeating Australia 3-1 in the semifinals, and Pakistan, 1-0 in the finals.[5][6] In an editorial, the Indian newspaper,The Indian Express, called Singh's style of play "crafty" and him a "member of the golden generation", referring to him and some of his peers includingBalbir Singh Dosanjh,Keshav Dutt, and Balbir Singh Junior. The newspaper went on to note that he would be "remembered as one of the key men responsible for India regaining its supremacy on the hockey field".[7]
He was a recipient of theArjuna Award in 1963 and thePadma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian honor, in 1964.[5]
After his retirement from the sport, he served as thedean of student welfare atPunjab Agricultural University and later at the Hisar Agricultural University, before going on to become the director of sports atHimachal Pradesh University.[5][6]
Singh was married and had two sons and a daughter.[8] Singh died from a heart attack at his home inUna, Himachal Pradesh, on 27 January 2022, seven days before his 91st birthday.[9][10] He had suffered aparalytic attack five years before his death.[5] His wife had predeceased him 12 years earlier.[8]
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