KOCHI: The first Keralite to win an Olympic medal, former national hockey team goalkeeper Manuel Frederick passed away in Bengaluru on Friday. The 78-year-old was under treatment for cancer for some time.
Frederick, who hails from Kannur, was a member of the Indian team that won bronze at the 1972 Munich Olympics, defeating the Netherlands. A recipient of the Dhyan Chand award for Lifetime Achievement in Sports and Games in 2019, he played for the national team for seven years, from 1971 to 78.
Born on October 20, 1947, he played in the Bombay Gold Cup at the age of 17 and the penalty specialist helped his team win 16 national championship matches in tiebreakers.
He was part of the national team in two significant World Cups as well, with India finishing runners-up in the 1973 World Cup in the Netherlands and earning fourth place in the 1978 Argentina World Cup.
Frederick’s name remains etched in the sports history of Kerala as the first and only olympic medallist from the state until 2021, when P R Sreejesh, who followed the same path, secured his first Olympic bronze.
“I know him from a very small age and had met him during my school days itself. I had seen his medal as well then,” said Sreejesh, as he remembered the legend.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, in his condolence message, said: “He was one of the best goalkeepers in the sport during the 1971-78 period when they never even used helmets for defence. He was someone who was great at defending penalties as well.”
The mortal remains will be buried in Bengaluru on Saturday, said family members.
