Birth anniversary: Unbreakable records of Major Dhyan Chand
India celebrates the National Sports Day on August 29 and this day is dedicated to the late hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand. He was born on this day in 1905. The 'Magician of Hockey' led India to three Olympic gold medals. On this day, the President of India honors athletes and coaches with the country's top awards. Here is more.
A brief history of Dhyan Chand
He was born in a Rajput family in Allahabad. At the age of 16, Dhyan Singh joined the Indian Army. He was called 'Chand' by his friends as he used to train in the moonlight He took up hockey after joining the army and led India to several honors across the globe. Post his retirement, he became a hockey coach.
Some interesting facts about the legend
Hitler was so impressed with Dhyan Chand's game that the German leader offered him citizenship and a rank of 'Colonel' in the German Army. Dhyan Chand also saw his hockey stick being broken by officials from Netherlands, who wanted to check if there was a magnet. In 1956, he was conferred with the Padma Bhushan. He retired as a Major from the Indian Army.
Chand was a master at the Olympics
Chand scored 14 goals in the 1928 Olympics in Amsterdam. It included two goals in the final against Holland. At the LA Olympics in 1932, Chand ended as the second highest scorer with 8 goals. He wore rubber slippers in the 1936 Olympics final and scored three goals against Germany in the final to help India clinch another gold medal.
A man of records that seem unbreakable
Dhyan led the team to three successive Olympic gold medals in 1928, 1932 and 1936. He scored 400+ goals for India in a career that spanned over 22 years. When he was past 40, Chand still managed to net in 68 goals in 22 matches.
