Kannur/Bengaluru: Manuel Frederick, the first person from Kerala to win an Olympic hockey medal, died in a Bengaluru hospital, where he was undergoing treatment for cancer, on Friday morning, family sources said.
He was 78.
Frederick, who hailed from Kannur district of Kerala, was the goalkeeper of the Indian team that won the bronze medal by defeating Holland in the 1972 Munich Olympics.
He joined the Indian Army at 15, where he honed his hockey skills through rigorous training at the Services camp. Manuel made his debut as India’s goalkeeper in 1971. His goalkeeping brilliance the following year helped India clinch the bronze medal at the 1972 Munich Olympics.
Family: Late wife — Sheethala; daughters — Freshina Praveen (Bengaluru) and Fenila (Mumbai); sons-in-law — Praveen (Bengaluru) and Tinu Thomas (Mumbai).
