 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born | (1981-05-10)10 May 1981 (age 44) Lulkidihi,Sundergarh,Odisha, India | ||
| Playing position | Fullback | ||
| Senior career | |||
| Years | Team | ||
| Services | |||
| 2005–? | Chennai Veerans | ||
| 2007–2008 | Orissa Steelers | ||
| National team | |||
| Years | Team | Caps | |
| 2001–2012 | India | 250+ | |
Medal record | |||
Ignacious "Ignace"Tirkey is an Indianfield hockey player. He plays as afullback and has captained theIndian team.[1]
He also serves the Madras Engineering Group (Madras Sappers corps of engineers)Indian army as a commissioned officer. He holds the rank ofMajor.[2]
Ignace Tirkey's younger brotherPrabodh Tirkey also represented India in hockey. He is a product of Panposh Sports Hostel,Rourkela where he was spotted byIndian Army to help him pursue his career.
Tirkey made his debut for the national side in February 2001 at the Akbar el Yom Tournament inCairo againstBelgium. He was a member of Indian team that participated in theAthens Olympic in 2004, where India finished seventh. In club hockey, Tirkey played forServices.
He is most remembered for a goal that he scored throughPakistan's ace strikerSohail Abbas's legs in the final minutes of 2003Asia Cup final to give India the winning lead after both teams were locked at 2-2 (India eventually added a 4th goal in the last minute). The match won India its first gold in Asia Cups.[3]
Another highlight of his was in the Muruguppa Gold Cup in Aug 2001, where he scored a golden goal to win the final, and thereafter in December 2002 during theNational Games inHyderabad.
| S.No. | Awards | Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Padma Shree[4] | 2010 |
| 2 | Arjuna Award | 2009 |
| 3 | Ekalavya Puraskar | 2003 |
| 4 | Services Sportsman of the Year | 2004 |
| 5 | Vishisht Seva Medal[5] | 2005 |
