Muniswamy Rajgopal

Who was Muniswamy Rajgopal?

Muniswamy Rajgopal was an Indian field hockey player. This Olympic gold medal winner in 1952, Helsinki, was the first Olympic winner for Karnataka. A member of the undivided Indian team that toured East Africa in 1945, Rajagopal was renowned for his prodiguous stickwork skills and hence rightly called the "Artful Dodger". Having made his mark on that tour of East Africa under the legendary Dhyan Chand, Rajagopal moved from strength to strength in his reputation as a remarkable play-maker on the left flank.

A member of the Karnataka team for 15 years from 1945, Rajagopal was also instrumental in his employers team Hindustan Aircraft, now Hindustan Aeronautics, winning the oldest hockey tournament of the world _ the Beighton Cup in Kolkata _ in 1951.

Known for his sharp hockey acumen, Rajagopal was also the coach of the State teams, in various age-groups on numerous occasions, the most notable among them the 1975 Junior Nationals triumph in Pune.

He was also the coach of the National team in the inaugural Junior World Cup tournament held in Paris in 1979.

Rajagopal was also the recipient of the State Government's Rajyotsava Award in 2000.