Hockey legend mourned
Bengaluru
Former India hockey goalkeeper and 1972 Munich Olympics bronze medalist Manuel Frederick passed away in Bengaluru on Friday morning. He was 78.
Frederick, who had been battling prostate cancer for the past 10 months, was also coping with depression following the death of his wife, Sheetala, last year. He is survived by two daughters.
Born on October 20, 1947, in Barnasseri, Kannur, Frederick made history as the first athlete from Kerala to win an Olympic medal. Decades later, fellow goalkeeper P.R. Sreejesh would become only the second Olympian from the state to repeat the feat, winning bronze medals at both the Tokyo (2021) and Paris (2024) Games.
His daughter, Freshna, confirmed the news of his passing. “Dad passed away this morning. He was suffering from cancer for the last 10 months and was also depressed after our mother expired a year back. We tried our best but he developed jaundice in the end, and his liver got affected, which worsened his condition,” she told PTI.
Frederick had long settled in Bengaluru, where he continued to mentor young goalkeepers and promote grassroots hockey. Known for his sharp reflexes and calm presence under pressure, he played a key role in India’s bronze-winning campaign at the 1972 Munich Olympics — a proud moment that ended an eight-year Olympic medal drought for Indian men’s hockey.
In 2019, he was honoured with the Major Dhyan Chand Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sports and Games, recognising his outstanding contribution to Indian hockey both as a player and a mentor.
With his passing, Indian hockey has lost one of its most respected guardians of the goal — a man whose legacy remains etched in Olympic history.
