GOLDEN OLYMPIC MOMENTS

• 12 teams, divided into 3 groups took part in the 1956 Olympics competition. India won all the group matches, beating Afghanistan 14-0, USA 16-0 and Singapore 6-0. At this stage India had scored 36 goals in 3 games, with no goals against. India then scraped past Germany with a solitary goal victory in the semi-finals.
  
  
• India clashed with Pakistan for the first time since the partition of India. Midway through the second half, India was awarded a penalty corner. The ball was pushed out by Udham Singh and stopped by Raghbir Singh Bhola. Randhir Singh Gentle took the shot. A Pakistani defender failed to trap it cleanly and allowed the ball to trickle over the goal line. And so India secured the gold medal for the sixth time in a row, until then a record for any country in any team sport in the Olympics.
  
  
• Inside-left Udham Singh scored 15 goals for India in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics - the highest tally by an Indian at an Olympics till that date.
  
  
• For over 20 years, the only triple gold medallists for India were the 'Hockey Wizard' Dhyan Chand and goalkeeper Richard James Allen (1928-1936). After the 1956 Olympics, Balbir Singh Sr., Randhir Singh Gentle and Ranganathan Francis became the other triple gold medallists for India (1948-1956).
  
  
• India's record in the 1956 Olympics at Melbourne was as follows :
• Played: 5
• Won: 5
• Goals For: 38
• Goals Against: 0
  
  
• The following were the members of the 1956 Indian Olympic Team :
• Balbir Singh Sr. (captain)
• Shankar Lakshman (goalkeeper)
• Ranganathan Francis
• Bakshish Singh
• Randhir Singh Gentle
• Leslie Claudius
• Amir Kumar
• Govind Perumal
• Charles Stephen
• Gurdev Singh
• Udham Singh
• Raghbir Singh Bhola
• Balkrishan Singh
• Haripal Kaushik
• Raghbir Lal
• O. P. Malhotra
• Hardayal Singh
• Amit S. Bakshi

Photo Courtesy Balbir Singh Sr.'s Golden Hat Trick