Quick Info→
Height: 5’9″ Age: 80 Years Religion: Sikhism
| Bio/Wiki | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Harbinder Singh Chimni |
| Profession | Former Field Hockey Player |
| Famous for | Being a part of the Indian Hockey team that won a gold at the Tokyo 1964 Summer Olympics |
| Physical Stats & More | |
| Height (approx.) | in centimeters– 175 cm in meters– 1.75 m in feet & inches– 5’ 9” |
| Eye Colour | Black |
| Hair Colour | Grey |
| Hockey | |
| International Debut | Tokyo 1964 Summer Olympics |
| Medals | • Gold Medal in the 1964 Summer Olympics, held in Tokyo • Bronze Medal in the 1968 Summer Olympics, held in Mexico • Bronze Medal in the 1972 Summer Olympics, held in Munich, Germany • Gold Medal in the Asian Games at Bangkok 1966 • Silver Medal in the Asian Games at Bangkok 1970 • Bronze Medal in the Asian Games at Seoul 1986 Note: During his career span, he won 36 Gold, 8 Silver, and 4 Bronze Medals in various National and International Competitions. |
| Awards, Honours, Achievements | • Railway Minister Award in 1966 • Arjuna Award in 1967 • Best Sportsman of the Railways Award in 1972 • Major Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award 2019 and a cash prize of Rs 30 lakh with a trophy • Padma Shri Award in January 2024 |
| Personal Life | |
| Date of Birth | 8 July 1943 (Thursday) |
| Age (as of 2023) | 80 Years |
| Birthplace | Quetta, Pakistan |
| Zodiac sign | Cancer |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Hometown | Punjab, India |
| College/University | Khalsa College in Amritsar, Punjab |
| Religion | Sikhism |
| Relationships & More | |
| Marital Status | Not Known |
| Family | |
| Wife/Spouse | N/A |
| Siblings | Brother– Harjinder Singh Chimni (former Hockey Player) |
Some Lesser Known Facts About Harbinder Singh
- Harbinder Singh is an Indian former field hockey player. He is known for being a part of the Indian Hockey team that won a gold medal at the 1964 Summer Olympics, held in Tokyo. He was awarded the Padma Shri in January 2024 for his contributions to Indian hockey.
- He was born in Quetta, Pakistan, but relocated to India with his family following the 1947 partition of India.
- Since childhood, he was passionate about sports. He started participating in various sports such as Hockey, Athletics, and football while studying in school. He has played for Cantonment Board High School, Jalandhar in a football tournament.
An old photograph of Harbinder Singh
- In 1959, he took part in the Inter-University Athletics Meet in Kanpur, where he represented Panjab University.
- He competed in the 4x100M Relay Race in the junior category at the National Athletic Championship 1959 in Trivandrum, where he represented Punjab State.
- He played for the team of Punjab state at the Inter-University Hockey Tournament 1961.
- In 1961, he took part in the National Hockey Championship, held in Hyderabad.
- The following year, he competed in the National Hockey Championship in Bhopal.
- At the age of 18, Harbinder Singh started representing India in the International Hockey Championships. In 1961, he went on the New Zealand and Australian tour as part of the Indian Hockey team.
Indian Hockey Team during New Zealand and Australia Tour, 1961
- In 1963, he participated in an International Hockey tournament in Lyons, France, where the Hockey team of India won a gold medal.
- During his career span, he played for the Indian Hockey team in three Olympic games i.e., Tokyo 1964, Mexico 1968, and Munich 1972.
- In the Tokyo 1964 Summer Olympics, he scored the highest number of field goals (5 out of 9 goals), which led India to win a gold medal by beating Pakistan.
Harbinder Singh (second from right) during Tokyo 1964 Summer Olympics
- Singh was a part of the Indian Hockey team that won a gold medal in 1966 at the Asian Games in Bangkok.
- In the same year, he scored 4 goals out of 8 field goals in an International Hockey tournament in Hamburg, Germany.
- He took part in the 4x100M Relay Race at the All India Open Athletic Championship 1967 in Sangrur, where he represented the team of Indian Railways. He managed to earn a gold medal in the championship.
- In 1967, he represented India in the Pre-Olympic Hockey Tournament in London, where the Indian Hockey team managed to win a bronze medal.
- He contributed to the Indian Men’s Hockey Team winning a bronze medal by scoring 6 out of 11 goals, including a hat-trick against Mexico in the 1968 Summer Olympics, held in Mexico. His remarkable performance in the Olympics secured him a position on the “World XI” as a centre forward.
- He became the captain of the Indian Men’s Hockey Team at the 1970 Asian Games in Bangkok and led his team to win a silver medal.
- In the Munich 1972 Summer Olympics, he helped the Indian Men’s Hockey team to win a bronze medal.
- Harbinder Singh represented the Punjab State and Indian Railways teams in various National Hockey Championships from 1961 to 1972, securing 8 gold and 2 silver medals.
- He was the chief coach for the Indian Women’s hockey team during the 10th Asian Games in Seoul in 1986. Under his leadership the team secured a bronze medal in the championship.
- During his tenure as coach from 1975 to 1993, the Indian Railways Hockey Team secured 8 gold and 4 silver medals in several championships.
1975 World Cup winning Indian hockey team
- He remained associated with the Selection Committee of the Indian Hockey Federation for juniors as a member for eight years (from 1980 to 1984 and 1994 to 1998).
- He served as member of Selection Committee for both junior and senior players in the Women’s Hockey Federation for five years, from 2004 to 2009.
- The former player has also served as a member of various other committees, including the Hockey India High Performance & Development Committee, the Hockey India Disciplinary Committee, and the Hockey India Ethics Committee.
- In addition, he has been a chairman of the Hockey India Masters Committee.
- He worked for the Northern Railways.
- He received accolades from Hockey India upon receiving the Padma Shri Award in January 2024. In an interview, Bhola Nath Singh, the organization’s Secretary General, showed his gratitude and remarked,
On behalf of Hockey India, I congratulate Harbinder Singh. He will forever be known as one of India’s finest centre forwards who scored at will and won many accolades for the country. He continues to serve the sport even to this day, always willing to be involved in whatever capacity it may be and that is very inspiring.”