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Olympian Udham Singh dies of heart attack

India's hockey legend Udham Singh died of cardiac arrest at his home in native Sansarpur village in Jalandhar last night. He was 72.

The four-time Olympian suffered a heart attack for the second time within hours after being discharged from a private hospital last evening, according to Colonel Balbir Singh, a former hockey Olympian who hails from the same village.

Darshan Singh, who treated the Olympian, said Udham Singh was declared ''brought dead'' to the hospital yesterday.

Col Singh said India's veteran Olympic forward at Helsinki, Melbourne, Rome and Tokyo in 1952, 1956, 1960 and 1964 respectively, had celebrated his discharge from the hospital by distributing sweets to young hockey trainees at his village before returning home.

Udham Singh's native village Sansarpur is popularly known as India's hockey nursery for having produced several Olympians.

Udham Singh is survived by his third wife and three-year-old daughter, Col Singh said.

The Olympian's body has been kept in a private mortuary at Bundala village and would be cremated after the arrival of his nephews from abroad, on March 26.

Udham Singh, the first Arjuna awardee was the second Indian to have played four Olympics. He had missed playing the 1948 Olympics owing to hand injury, Col Singh said. Leslie Claudius is the other Indian who saw action in four Olympics. From the Indian subcontinent, Udham Singh was among the four legends who played four Olympics, the remaining two being Brig Hamidi and Brig Atif of the Pakistan army, Col Balbir Singh added.

Udham Singh, after his retirement from national hockey, played for Border Security Force and Punjab police for several years and remained an inspiration for younger players for his sheer grit and dedication to the cause and promotion of hockey till his death.

Against the advice of Dr Darshan Singh for a mandatory two-week recuperation after the first heart attack a few days ago, Udham Singh went to the Sansarpur playground and distributed sweets to youngsters to celebrate his hospital discharge and returned home only to suffer the second heart attack, which proved fatal.

UNI