Hockey legend Balbir Singh Sr, a three-time gold medallist at the Olympics, died at the age of 95 in a Mohali hospital. One of the greatest hockey players of all time, Balbir had been battling several age-related health problems for over two weeks. He breathed his last on Monday. Balbir was under observation at a private hospital in Mohali after suffering a cardiac arrest earlier this month. He was admitted to the hospital in a very serious state with multiple organ failure due to bronchial pneumonia. While in hospital, he had suffered back-to-back mild cardiac arrests.
He was under ventilator support since May 12 and had tested negative for Covid-19. He was cremated with full state honours. The veteran Olympian had tweeted a message on April 5 praying for safety of all amidst covid-19 outbreak.
He lived with his daughter Sushbir Bhomia and grandson Kabir Singh Bhomia at his Sector 36 residence in Chandigarh. Balbir became the only Indian among 16 legends chosen by the International Olympic Committee across the modern Olympic history. His world record for most goals scored by an individual in the men's hockey final of the Olympics remains unbeaten. Balbir had scored five goals in India's 6-1 victory over the Netherlands in the gold medal match of the 1952 Helsinki Games. He was conferred with the Padma Shri in 1957 and was the manager of India's World Cup-winning team in 1975.
