Gagan Ajit Singh was one of the sharpest strikers in Indian hockey at the turn of the century. He captained India to its first Junior World Cup title in Hobart in 2001, played at the 2000 Sydney and 2004 Athens Olympics and was part of the side that won the 2003 Asia Cup. Hockey ran in the family: his father Ajit Singh played at the Montreal Olympics and his uncle Harmik Singh was also an Olympian.
Name: Gagan Ajit Singh
Born: 9 December 1980, Firozpur, Punjab
Sport: Hockey
Position: Forward
Air India Academy
Gagan Ajit was born in Firozpur on 9 December 1980 and studied at Union Academy and Jamia Millia Islamia in New Delhi. In 1997 he played for the Air India Hockey Academy at the junior nationals and scored 26 goals to finish as top scorer. He led the academy side in 1999. He made his senior India debut in a 1997 Test series against Russia while still a teenager.
He was a natural goalscorer with quick reactions in the circle and a good first touch, and he could score from narrow angles.
Sydney 2000 and the Junior World Cup
He scored 13 goals at the 2000 Junior Asia Cup in Kuala Lumpur and was named in the all-star team. Later that year he played at the Sydney Olympics, where India finished seventh.
In October 2001 he captained India at the Junior World Cup in Hobart. India beat Argentina in the final to win the title for the first time, and Gagan Ajit scored two goals during the tournament. Several players from that squad went on to become senior internationals.
Senior career
He won silver at the 2002 Asian Games in Busan and was named in the All-Asian team. In 2003 India won the Asia Cup in Kuala Lumpur, and he was player of the tournament at the Panasonic Masters the same year. At the 2004 Athens Olympics India again finished seventh. He played at the 2006 World Cup and the 2006 Asian Games in Doha before dropping out of the national side.
At club level he played for Bharat Petroleum and then Punjab Police, and he spent time with HC Klein Zwitserland in the Netherlands. He later played in World Series Hockey. He received the Arjuna Award for his performances in the early 2000s.
Career record and honours
- Junior World Cup gold medal (captain): Hobart 2001
- Olympic appearances: Sydney 2000, Athens 2004
- Asian Games silver medal: Busan 2002; All-Asian team
- Asia Cup gold medal: Kuala Lumpur 2003
- Junior Asia Cup: 13 goals and all-star team, Kuala Lumpur 2000
- Arjuna Award
