Shankar Lakshman

Shankar Laxman (* July 7, 1933 in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh, ibid † April 29, 2006, also Shankar Lakshman ) was an Indian hockey player. With two gold medals and one silver medal, he is one of the most successful Olympic hockey players.

Career

Growing up on a military base, located Laxman in 1947 joined with fourteen years of the Indian Army. There he learned the hockey game and became the best goalkeepers of his generation. Before the Olympics 1956 he broke Ranganathan Francis from as goalkeeper of the Indian team. During his three Olympic appearances in 1956, 1960 and 1964, the Indian team lost a single game: The final 1960 against Pakistan. Four years later, the Indians won against a Pakistani team, which almost all succeeded on the field, but Laxman could not overcome. The last highlight of his athletic career were the Asian Games in 1966, where he led the Indian team as captain to the title. 1965 Laxman was awarded the Arjuna Award in 1967 he was awarded the Padma Shri.

1978 retired from Laxman as a Major from the Indian Army and was made an honorary captain. After his death, the sports field of a primary school in Mhow was named after him.