Dhyan Chand

Dhyan Chand won three gold medals as a center-forward for India and is considered the greatest hockey player ever. He learned the game from British army officers and had his first international competition in 1926 on a tour of Australia and New Zealand. He led India to gold medals in 1928, 1932, and 1936. In 1947-48 he was still the star of the Indian team but declined selection to the 1948 team, which prevented him from being the only hockey player to have won four gold medals. At the Olympics Chand has two of the highest scoring individual performances ever. In 1932, against the United States, he scored eight goals in leading India to a 24-1 win, while in 1936 he scored three goals against Germany, as India won in the final, 8-1. His younger brother, Roop Singh, played on the 1932 and 1936 Olympic teams and his son, Ashok Kumar, won an Olympic bronze medal in 1972.