Udham Singh Kular won four Olympic medals for India in hockey: gold in 1952, 1956 and 1964 and silver in 1960. Only Leslie Claudius matches that record among Indian players. He came from Sansarpur, the village near Jalandhar that sent more players to the Olympics than most countries, and he spent 18 years with Punjab Police before going on to coach the national side.
Name: Udham Singh Kular
Born: 4 August 1928, Sansarpur, Jalandhar
Died: 23 March 2000, Sansarpur
Sport: Hockey
Position: Half-back and forward
Sansarpur and Punjab Police
Udham Singh was born in Sansarpur on 4 August 1928 and studied at Victor High School and DAV College in Jalandhar, where he captained the college team in 1947. He was a small man, about five feet six, but he could play almost anywhere in midfield or attack, and selectors used him as a half-back, inside forward and centre forward at different times.
He was in line for the 1948 London Olympics but a finger injury kept him out. He joined Punjab Police and stayed with the force for 18 years, leading the team on several occasions. In 1954 he captained Punjab.
Helsinki 1952 and Melbourne 1956
His first Olympics came at Helsinki in 1952 under K. D. Singh Babu. India won gold, beating the Netherlands 6-1 in the final. Four years later, under Balbir Singh Senior at Melbourne, India won again, this time beating Pakistan 1-0 in the final. That made it six Olympic hockey titles in a row for India.
Rome 1960 and Tokyo 1964
Rome in 1960 ended the run. Pakistan beat India 1-0 in the final and Udham Singh came home with silver. He had also been part of the side at the 1958 Asian Games in Tokyo, where India and Pakistan finished level on points and Pakistan took gold on goal average. Accounts of his career often single out that tournament as his best.
He was 36 when India went to Tokyo for the 1964 Olympics. The final was again against Pakistan, and this time India won 1-0 to take the gold back. It was his last Olympics. Across four Games he scored 14 goals in 14 matches.
He also captained Indian Hockey Federation sides on tours to Warsaw in 1955 and East Africa in 1959.
Coaching
After retiring he turned to coaching. He was coach of the Indian team that won bronze at the 1968 Mexico Olympics, and of the side that won silver at the 1970 Asian Games in Bangkok. He also spent years working with young players. The government gave him the Arjuna Award in 1965.
Udham Singh died in Sansarpur on 23 March 2000, aged 71.
Career record and honours
- Olympic gold medal: Helsinki 1952, Melbourne 1956, Tokyo 1964
- Olympic silver medal: Rome 1960
- 14 goals in 14 Olympic matches
- Asian Games silver medal: Tokyo 1958
- Coach of India’s bronze-medal team, Mexico 1968, and silver-medal team, Bangkok Asian Games 1970
- Arjuna Award (1965)
