- Roop Singh
Roop Singh Bais (
September 8 ,1910 –December 16 ,1977 ) won the gold medal in the 1932 and the 1936 Olympic Games. Roop Singh's family was based inGwalior . His son, Chandrashekhar played hockey for India.Roop singh was the younger brother of legendaryDhyan Chand .He was a Rajput. His father Subedar Sameshwar Dutt Singh was in army and also played hockey.Roop Singh was the best inside-left India has ever produced. His power, anticipation and stickwork were all superb. Add to that a powerful hit and he was a complete player. There were times when Dhyan Chand used to warn him to be careful with his hit otherwise someone could get injured. Gyan Singh, a doyen of Indian hockey, once said about Roop that he was the only inside-left he had seen scoring goals from the crosses sent by the outside-left. Like his hits, Roop’s penalty corner shots too were all powerful.
Roop lived in style and believed in dressing well. In fact, just before the team was to leave for the 1932 Olympics, he refused to go because he didn’t have the right clothes for the occasion. Dhyan Chand, had to look around for some new clothes before Roop finally agreed to go. He was also one of those few players who never argued with the umpire on any umpiring decision. After the final of the 1936
Berlin Olympics , the Germans were so impressed with him that they named a street after him. For the family it was a matter of great pride. A great player, he went through difficult times, though he was in the armed forces of the Maharaja of Scindia.Captain Roop Singh Stadium
Gwalior is situated in the northern region of
Madhya Pradesh , formerly India's largest state, in central India. The Captain Roop Singh Stadium, named after an Olympic hockey gold medalist Roop Singh, was originally a hockey stadium before it was converted into a cricket venue in the 1980s.External links
* [http://www.databaseolympics.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=SINGHROO01 profile]
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