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India have won 10 gold medals in the Olympic Games and eight of those belong to the India men's hockey team. Before the AstroTurf was introduced, the Indian hockey team was a force to be reckoned with. They were unstoppable in the Olympics before and after India became an independent nation. Their dominance was such that in Melbourne 1956 Olympics, they set a record at the event with six consecutive gold medals. It was the most medals won by a team in consecutive editions of the Olympics.
Before independence
In the Los Angeles Olympics 1932, India were dominating in the final beating hosts USA by a huge margin of 24-1.
In the Berlin Olympics 1936, India completed a hat-trick of gold medals under the captaincy of Dhyan Chand. India were a goal-scoring machine. They netted 38 goals in five games. The only goal they conceded was in the final against Germany. They beat the hosts 8-1 in the final to complete the hat-trick.
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After independence
The Olympic Games resumed after the second World War in 1948. In the London Olympics, Balbir Singh Sr stole the show. Before reaching the final, India scored 19 goals. In the semifinal, they beat the Netherlands 2-1. In the final, they went up against the hosts. Balbir scored twice as India beat Great Britain 4-0 to make it four gold medals in a row.
In the Helsinki Olympics 1952, Balbir Singh Sr scored nine goals in three matches. He was exceptional in the final against the Netherlands with five goals to help India win by 6-1 and get their hands on the fifth gold medal on the trot.
In the Melbourne Olympics 1956, India's domination reached new heights. In the first-ever Olympics in the southern Hemisphere, India did not concede a single goal in the entire tournament. They outclassed opponents and won by margins of more than 10 goals. The final against arch-rivals Pakistan turned out to be nail-biting encounter. A spirited Balbir fractured finger in right hand as India beat Pakistan 1-0 in the final to create history.
1956 Olympics Indian hockey team
Balbir Singh Sr (captain), Leslie Claudius, Ranganathan Francis, Hari Pal Kaushik, Amir Kumar, Raghbir Lal, Shankar Laxman, Govind Perumal, Amit Singh Bakshi, Raghbir Singh Bhola, Hardyal Singh Garchey, Randhir Singh Gentle, Balkishan Singh Grewal, Gurdev Singh Kullar, Uddham Singh Kullar, Bakshish Singh, O.P. Malhotra, Charles Stephen.
Two more golds and a bronze after long wait
In Rome Olympics 1960, India's winning streak came to an end. They lost to Pakistan in the final and settled for silver. In Tokyo Olympics 1964, they got back to winning ways and won another gold medal. India men's hockey team's last gold medal came in Moscow Olympics 1980. It took 41 years for India to win a medal in men’s hockey. India won the bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics 2020.
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