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Balbir Singh Sr.

Hockey Codes

Balbir Singh Dosanjh, known as Balbir Singh Sr., was an Indian field hockey player who lived from 1924 to 2020, born in Haripur Khalsa, Punjab, widely regarded as the sport's greatest ever centre forward. He won three Olympic gold medals with India, at the 1948 London, 1952 Helsinki and 1956 Melbourne Games, serving as vice captain in 1952 and captain in 1956, and set an Olympic final record by scoring five goals in India's 6-1 win over the Netherlands in 1952. Across his international career he scored 246 goals in 61 appearances, including 23 goals in just 8 Olympic matches, and in 1957 became the first sportsperson to receive the Padma Shri.

Facts
Birth Year
1924 1
Birth Date
1924-10-10 1
Death Year
2020 1
Death Date
2020-05-25 1
Nationality
Indian 1
Career Highlight
Three-time Olympic gold medalist with India (1948, 1952, 1956) 1
Classification
Competition Category
Team 1
In the Other Atlases
  • Also in Geography Atlas: India, nationality there.
Sources
1. Balbir Singh Sr., Wikipedia
  • Lead sentence, birth date
    Balbir Singh Dosanjh (10 October 1924
  • Lead sentence, birth year
    Balbir Singh Dosanjh (10 October 1924
  • Lead section, third paragraph, death date
    Singh died in Mohali Fortes Hospital on 25 May 2020
  • Lead section, third paragraph, death year
    Singh died in Mohali Fortes Hospital on 25 May 2020
  • Lead sentence, nationality
    was an Indian hockey player and coach
  • Lead sentence, career
    He was a three-time Olympic gold medalist
  • Wikipedia, article summary lead
    , was an Indian hockey player and coach.
View the Source
Frequently Asked Questions

What Olympic record does Balbir Singh Sr. hold?

Five goals in the 1952 Olympic final against the Netherlands.

Balbir Singh Sr. holds the record for the most goals scored by an individual in an Olympic men's field hockey final. He scored five goals in India's 6-1 win over the Netherlands in the 1952 Helsinki final, and that mark has not been beaten. It came in a career of three Olympic gold medals with India, at the 1948, 1952 and 1956 Games, in which he scored 23 goals in just 8 Olympic matches. He was vice captain at Helsinki in 1952 and captain at Melbourne in 1956.

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