India accumulated six medals consecutively at the Olympics from 1928.
Indian team is one of the most successful countries in the world when it comes to Field Hockey. India has been on the podium twelve times for Hockey. Those triumphs include eight gold, a silver and three bronze medals. Hockey was first introduced in the Olympics in 1908 and India was so dominant back then that they won the gold medal consecutively in the first six campaigns.
Considering its rich history in the sport it is no surprise that some of the greatest players to have played the game have been from India. Here is a look at the top 10 Indians with the most medals at the Olympics:
10. Grahanandan Singh (2 medals)
Grahanandan Singh was part of the Indian squad that won back-to-back gold medals in the 1948 and 192 Olympics. The former Vice President of the Asian Hockey Federation played one match each in both campaigns to secure two gold medals for himself. In the 1948 Olympics in London, Singh featured in a preliminary round match against Spain that India won 2-0. In the following Olympics in Helsinki Singh again played only one match, a semi-final clash against Great Britain that India won 3-1.
9. Keshav Dutt (2 medals)
Considered to be one of the best centre half-backs to play for India, Keshav Dutt was a teammate of Grahanandan Singh. He has two Olympic gold medals to his name which he won in India’s triumph in the 1948 and 1952 Olympics. The halfback made 22 international appearances for India in a career that spanned nine years. Keshav Dutt was also the first non-footballer to receive the Mohun Bagan award back in 2019.
8. Prithipal Singh (3 medals)
Nicknamed as the ‘King of Short corners’, Prithipal Singh has won three Olympic medals for India. His medals consist of gold, silver and bronze medals that he won in the 1964,1960 and 1968 Olympics respectively. Playing mostly as a halfback, Prithitipal was a prolific goal scorer. In the 1964 Tokyo Olympics in which India won the gold, India scored 22 goals throughout the campaign and 11 of them were scored by Prithipal alone. In 1961, Prithipal Singh became the first hockey player to win an Arjuna Award.
7. Shankar Lakshman (3 medals)
Shankar Lakshman played as a goalkeeper and was the first goalkeeper in history to captain an international hockey team. The former Indian captain won three Olympic gold medals for India which includes two golds and a silver. The two gold medals came in the 1956 and 1964 Olympics while the silver medal was won in the 1960 Olympics. The goalkeeper was named the man of the match in the final of the 1964 Olympic match against Pakistan.
6. Ranganathan Francis (3 medals)
Ranganathan Francis won three Olympic Gold medals for India. He was a goalkeeper in the squad when India won three consecutive gold medals in 1948, 1952 and 1956. Francis was mostly the second-choice goalkeeper in all three of those campaigns. Ranganathan Francis along with Richard Allen is the only goalkeeper to have won three Gold medals for India.
5. Randhir Singh Gentle (3 medals)
Randhir Singh Gentle played as a fullback for the Indian team that won three consecutive Olympic Gold medals from 1948 to 1956. He was especially instrumental in the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne where he also captained the team. Gentle finished the 1956 campaign with six goals which included the winner against Pakistan in the final.
4. Richard Allen (3 medals)
Along with Ranganathan Francis, Richard Allen is the only goalkeeper in India to win three Olympic gold medals. Richard’s three gold came in India’s three consecutive triumphs in 1928, 1932 and 1936. In the 1928 Olympics, he played in five matches without conceding a goal. In the 1936 Olympics, he featured in four matches and conceded only one goal. Allen conceding only two goals over three campaigns is an Olympic record that still holds to this day.
3. Dhyan Chand (3 medals)
Dhyan Chand is inarguably the best Indian Hockey player ever and one of the best to have ever played the game. Known as ‘The Wizard’ he holds numerous records to his name. Known for his incredible ball control and goal-scoring prowess, Chand led India to three Olympic triumphs in 1928, 1932 and 1936. In those three tournaments, the centre forward scored 33 times including a hat-trick in the final of the 1936 Berlin Olympics against Germany. ‘The Wizard’ played 185 international matches for India in which he scored 570 goals.
2. Udham Singh Kular (4 medals)
Udham Singh Kular is one of the most decorated Hockey players in Indian history. The centre-forward won three golds and a silver for India. The gold medals came in 1952, 1956 and 1964 and the silver came in the 1958 Olympics. Udham was also set to feature in the 1948 Olympics but missed out due to an injury. Singh was a versatile player in his career and played in a number of different positions. The forward went on to become a coach for the Indian team and led them to a bronze medal in the 1968 Mexico Olympics.
1. Leslie Claudius (4 medals)
Leslie Claudius along with Udham Singh is the only Indian Hockey player to win four medals. Those four medals include three gold and silver. The three gold medals were won in 1948, 1952, and 1956. Claudius captained the Indian squad in the 1960 Olympics where India won the silver medal with Dhyan Chand as the coach. The Halfback was the first Indian Hockey player to win four Olympic medals and also the first player to earn 100 international caps for India.
