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2. Balbir Singh Sr.
Balbir Singh Sr. is the only player in the history of the sport to have scored 5 goals in an Olympic match where he scored 5 in a 6-1 win against the Netherlands in the final. He became the second Indian to win three Olympic gold medals after winning the top honour in London (1948), Helsinki (1952) and Melbourne (1956). He captained the team at the Melbourne Olympics and was the second in command at Helsinki. He also represented the Indian team which returned with silver medals from the 1958 Asian Games.
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Post his playing career, the celebrated Sikh took charge of the Indian team as the coach, guiding the team to a 3rd placed finish at the 1971 Hockey World Cup which he bettered by winning the 1975 World Cup – the only time India won the tournament.
In 1957, he became the first sports personality to win the Padma Shri award. He has also written two autobiographies – The Golden Hat-trick (1977) and The Golden Yardstick: In Quest of Hockey Excellence (2008). The legendary forward is also the only hockey player and the only Indian to feature in the top 16 most iconic Olympians of all time.
