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Manuel Frederick, the first person from Kerala to win an Olympic hockey medal, died in a Bengaluru hospital, where he was undergoing treatment for cancer, on Friday morning, family sources said. He was 78. Frederick, who hailed from Kannur district of Kerala, was the goalkeeper of the Indian team that won the bronze medal by defeating Holland in the 1972 Munich Olympics. He played for the Indian team for seven years and was honoured with the Dhyan Chand Award in 2019 for his contributions to sports. He also has the distinction of being the goalkeeper who helped his team win 16 national championships in tiebreakers. Frederick started as a striker in football and a goalkeeper in hockey. He 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 played his first international match for India in 1971. He is survived by his two daughters.
Pakistan has pulled out of the Junior Hockey World Cup to be held in India in November-December, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) confirmed to PTI on Friday. FIH said Pakistan's replacement team for the November 28-December 28 event, to be held in Chennai and Madurai, will be announced soon. "We can confirm that the Pakistan Hockey Federation has notified the International Hockey Federation (FIH) that its team initially qualified for the upcoming FIH Hockey Men's Junior World Cup Tamil Nadu 2025 won't participate eventually," FIH said in a statement released to PTI. "The team replacing Pakistan for this event will be announced soon," the statement added. Pakistan were placed in Group B alongside India, Chile, and Switzerland and it remains to be seen which team replaces them. This is the second event in India that Pakistan has pulled out from after the men's Asia Cup in Rajgir, Bihar held from August 29 to September 7 this year. The sporting ties between India and Pakist
Vandana Katariya, the most-capped Indian woman hockey player, brought curtains on her illustrious 15-year international career on Tuesday, saying the decision taken at her "zenith" was both "bittersweet and empowering". The 32-year-old veteran striker represented India in 320 international games, scoring 158 goals. She was also a part of the Indian team that cherished the historic fourth-place finish at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. "Today, with a heavy yet grateful heart, I announce my retirement from international hockey -- a decision that feels both bittersweet and empowering," Katariya wrote in an Instagram post. "I'm not stepping away because the fire in me has dimmed or the hockey in my tank has run dry, but because I want to bow out at my zenith, while I'm still at my very best. "This isn't a goodbye born out of exhaustion; it's a choice to leave the international stage on my terms, with my head held high and my stick still blazing. The roar of the crowd, the thrill of every goal
Hockey Jharkhand edged past defending champions Hockey Haryana 4-3 in a shootout after 1-1 in regulation time to win the 15th Hockey India Senior Women National Championship here on Wednesday. Pramodni Lakra (44') and Rani (42') scored in regulation time. Rajni Kerketta, Nirali Kujur, Binima Dhan, and captain Alebla Rani Toppo netted in the shootout, while keeper Anjali Bhinjia's two crucial saves sealed the win. In the bronze medal match, Hockey Mizoram beat Hockey Maharashtra 2-1, with Manju Chorsiya (59') scoring the late winner.
Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers booked their place in the final of the Hockey India League, defeating Tamil Nadu Dragons 6-5 in a dramatic penalty shoot out here on Friday. Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers came back from a goal down twice before forcing a penalty shootout as the score was tied 2-2 in regulation time. Pardeep Singh Sandhu (30') and Sam Lane (53') scored for the Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers, while Nathan Ephraums (18') and Selvam Karthi (32') scored for the Tamil Nadu Dragons. The opening goal came in the 18th minute as the Dragons took the lead. Mohammed Raheel went on an amazing run to progress to the circle before playing the ball towards goal. Nathan Ephraums dove in to deflect the ball past Carr into goal. The Tigers equalised through Pardeep Singh Sandhu. It was Abhishek who created the goal as he dribbled past his marker to go one-on-one with Harte. The Dragons goalkeeper charged off his line only to see Abhishek scoop the ball to Pardeep to his right for the easiest of .
Dutch exponent Yibbi Jansen scored a brace as Odisha Warriors thrashed Delhi SG Pipers 4-0 in the opening match of the inaugural Women's Hockey India League, which got underway here on Sunday. Besides Jansen (16' and 37'), Baljeet Kaur (42') and Freeke Moes (43') scored for the winners. The first quarter was a cautious affair as both teams took their time to get into a rhythm. The Pipers and the Warriors had a couple of half chances but were unable to find the finishing touch as the first quarter ended goalless. Jansen scored the first goal after the Warriors won a penalty corner in the 16th minute. The Dutch player, one of the best drag-flickers in the game, made no mistake as she sent the flick flying past goalkeeper Elodie Picard. The Pipers won their first penalty corner in the 21st minute but the injection was not trapped cleanly. The Warriors doubled their lead midway through the third quarter with Jansen once again on target. The Dutch star fired her drag-flick into the cor
The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) has been told to secure government clearance before confirming participation in the FIH Junior World Cup scheduled in India at the end of next year. PHF Secretary-General Rana Mujahid said the team would require a No Objection Certificate from the federal government for the national squad to travel for the FIH event to be held in December of 2025. "Normally we have always been permitted by our government to play in major events in India in recent years despite the strained relations between the two countries. But now we have been informed to first get clearance before finalising the team and confirming participation," he told the media here. The Pakistan junior team was unable to take part in the junior World Cup held in Lucknow in December 2016 after the players were not issued visas because of late submission of applications. Pakistan qualified for the event after finishing runners-up in the Asia Cup held in Oman recently. The Green-shirts los
Hockey is set to be axed from the 2026 Commonwealth Games as the host city of Glasgow looks to cut costs, several media reports here stated but both the the International Hockey Federation (FIH) and the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) remained tight-lipped on the matter. Hockey has featured in each CWG since making its debut in 1998, but according to reports here, the Glasgow Games organisers want to drop it from the schedule along with net ball and road racing to ensure a trimmed programme that would be easy on the budget. Two other major sports -- shooting and wrestling -- in which India has had medal hauls in the past editions are also set to be dropped from the 2026 Glasgow CWG roster, which will deal a big blow to the country's hopes. Commonwealth Games Scotland (CGS) had said in their proposal that all the competitions of the 2026 CWG would be held in venues within an eight-mile-radius. That will rule shooting out of the sports roster as the Barry Buddon centre in Dundee