Zafar Iqbal played on the left wing for India through the late 1970s and 1980s, won Olympic gold at Moscow in 1980 and captained the side at the Los Angeles Olympics four years later. He was an engineering graduate from Aligarh Muslim University, and his partnership with Mohammed Shahid gave India one of its best forward lines of that period.
Name: Zafar Iqbal
Born: 20 June 1956, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh
Sport: Hockey
Position: Left winger
Aligarh and the national side
Zafar Iqbal was born in Lucknow on 20 June 1956 and learned his hockey at Aligarh Muslim University, which had a long tradition in the game. He studied engineering there while playing university hockey and broke into the national team in the late 1970s. He was fast down the left and good at crossing the ball into the circle at pace.
Moscow 1980
The Moscow Olympics were hit by the boycott led by the United States, and several strong hockey nations stayed away. India, captained by Vasudevan Baskaran, still had to beat Spain in the final and did so 4-3. It was India’s eighth Olympic hockey gold and its first since 1964. Zafar Iqbal and Mohammed Shahid were the two young forwards who caught the eye in that team.
Asian Games and Los Angeles 1984
At the 1982 Asian Games in Delhi India reached the final and lost heavily to Pakistan, a defeat that stung in front of a home crowd. Zafar Iqbal took over as captain and led India at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, where he was also the country’s flag-bearer at the opening ceremony. India finished fifth.
Later years
After retiring he worked with Indian Airlines and stayed involved in hockey as a coach and selector. He was given the Arjuna Award in 1983, and in 2012 he received the Padma Shri.
Career record and honours
- Olympic gold medal: Moscow 1980
- India captain and flag-bearer: Los Angeles Olympics 1984
- Asian Games silver medal: Delhi 1982
- Arjuna Award (1983)
- Padma Shri (2012)
