Kerala’s first Olympic hockey medalist Manuel Frederick dies at 78

Kannur/Bengaluru, Oct 31 (PTI) Manuel Frederick, the first person from Kerala to win an Olympic hockey medal, died at a hospital in Bengaluru on Friday morning while undergoing treatment for cancer, family sources said.

He was 78.

Frederick, who hailed from Kannur district in Kerala, was the goalkeeper of the Indian team that won the bronze medal by defeating Holland at the 1972 Munich Olympics.

He represented India for seven years and was honoured with the Dhyan Chand Award in 2019 for his contributions to sports.

Condoling his death, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said Frederick was among the best goalkeepers in the world during 1971-78, an era when goalkeepers played without helmets.

He was especially skilled at stopping penalty strokes, the chief minister said in a statement issued by his office.

Vijayan noted that Frederick had won an Olympic medal at a time when hockey was not very popular in Kerala and said he shared the grief of the family and sports enthusiasts.

P R Sreejesh, the second person from Kerala to win an Olympic hockey medal, paid tribute to Frederick in a Facebook post.

"The man who stood tall between the posts now rests among legends. Thank you for inspiring generations. Rest in peace, legend," he wrote.

Frederick had the distinction of helping his team win 16 national championships in tiebreakers.

He began as a football striker and a hockey goalkeeper and became active in hockey through the St Michael’s School team in Kannur.

Born on October 20, 1947, Frederick played in the Bombay Gold Cup at the age of 17 and made his international debut for India in 1971.

He is survived by his two daughters. PTI COR HMP SSK HMP SSK ADB