Amid the euphoria of Manu Bhaker winning a bronze medal in Paris, some in Vadodara are remembering a Gujarat athlete who made the state proud by achieving a similar feat six decades ago.
Vadodara’s Govindrao Sawant is the only player from the state to have won an Olympic medal, winning a team silver as part of the Indian hockey team at the 1960 Rome Olympics. Yet, this historic achievement has largely faded from people’s memories.
It must be noted that Govindrao Sawant won this medal when Pt Nehru was the Prime Minister and he died when the BJP government was ruling in Gujarat.
Gujarat State Athletics Association secretary and Athletics Federation of India executive member Laxman Karanjgaonkar said, “Sawant is a legend in our sports history. Our team performed brilliantly and reached the final by winning every match.”
“Though we lost to Pakistan in the final and finished runners-up, Sawant’s silver medal is a proud achievement. Despite sending several athletes to the Olympics, no one from Gujarat could win a medal after Sawant,” said Karanjgaonkar, who is also a representative for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Born on November 25, 1935 in a middle-class family in the then Baroda state, Sawant showed his interest for hockey. He played for Bombay province before Gujarat and Maharashtra became separate states in 1960.
“Sawant first represented Bombay province in the 1951 Rangaswamy Cup, a senior national hockey tournament. His talent earned him a place in the Rome Olympics, where he won a silver medal,” said Vikas Prajapati, assistant director of the physical education department at MS University. Sawant tested his physical fitness by regularly running 50 km between Vadodara city and Padra.
Sawant’s agility and dribbling skills gained prominence during the Aga Khan Hockey Tournament in the 1950s. “He was a hardworking and talented player,” Arjuna Award winner Sudhir Parab recalled.
“We participated in relay races together in Vadodara and we remained friends until he left,” he said.
A Kho-Kho player, Parab is the first player from the country to win the Arjuna Award in Indian sports and the first player from Gujarat to receive the prestigious honour.
After his illustrious hockey career, Sawant joined the State Reserve Police (SRP) and retired as Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP). He continued to make significant contributions to the Baroda District Hockey Association (BDHA), coaching several young players who went on to represent the state and national teams.
Despite his achievements, Sawant faced neglect from the state government. In 2001, he underwent knee replacement surgery at SSG Hospital but did not have the money for it.
Parab said, “Sawant went into depression and died within a few months of the surgery. His family’s financial condition was poor and his son had to drive an auto-rickshaw to earn a living.”
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