Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has condoled the death of two-time Olympic gold medalist and hockey legend Keshav Chandra Datt, who passed away this morning at the age of 95.
“ Deeply saddened to hear about the passing away of two-time Olympic gold medalist and hockey legend Keshav Chandra Datt. His outstanding contribution to Indian Hockey will be remembered forever. My condolences to the bereaved family and fans”, Naveen tweeted.
Deeply saddened to hear about the passing away of two-time Olympic gold medalist and hockey legend #KeshavChandraDatt. His outstanding contribution to Indian Hockey will be remembered forever. My condolences to the bereaved family and fans.
— Naveen Patnaik (@Naveen_Odisha) July 7, 2021
Datt was a formidable halfback and part of independent India’s historic feat at the 1948 Olympics where they beat Great Britain 4-0 in the final at the Wembley Stadium in London. Before the 1948 Olympics, Datt had toured East Africa in 1947 under the leadership of hockey wizard Major Dhyan Chand.
Datt, born on December 29, 1925 in Lahore, was also part of the Indian team at the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki where they beat the home team Netherlands 6-1 in the final to become Olympic champions for the fifth consecutive time.