7 Forgotten Sporting Heroes From Our Native Land Who Need To Get Their Due!

Sri Vidya Updated on Apr 28, 2015

Sure, we pat our backs about the sporting achievers from our native land like Pullela Gopichand, Sania Mirza, Saina Nehwal, Kidambi Srikanth, PV Sindhu and all the cricketers we love. But we are exponentially missing out the golden athletes who waved the Indian flag high even in a time when excelling in sports didn’t really give the perks like it does today. Those who played merely out of the love for their country and passion for the game, are today dejected, bitter and forgotten. These are the sportsmen who shone in glory decades ago and are now living in discontentment, denied from the same fraternity that embraced them, years ago. 1. Syed Abdul Rahim: Imagine India winning Gold… Now imagine India winning the Gold for football! Seems like a distant dream? Not quite. Under the coaching of Rahim Saab, from Hyderabad, India claimed the fourth position which is India’s personal best record, in 6 and a half decades!

Source: Sportskeeda 2. Dennis Swamy: Wayyyy before Vijender Singh came in with all his swag, this man was an 8-time national champion in Boxing. It has been 47 years and he is yet to receive the cash reward he was promised when he was honored with an Arjuna Award. This proud gentleman is pulling through in Hyderabad with a meagre pension today.

Source: The Hindu 3. Mohd. Yusuf Khan: Fondly known as “The Bearded Horse” in the football brotherhood, he was one of the only two Indians to ever make it to the Asian All Star XI. Now struggling with Parkinson’s disease, living in Hyderabad’s old city, this stallion of a person who was a part of the team that won India’s only Gold for football at the 1962 Asian Games.

Source: India Today/DigToKnow 4. Mukesh Kumar: Triple Olympian and one of the most feared right-wingers of yesteryears, Nandnuri Mukesh Kumar is now fighting the system to build his dream of setting up a coaching center. Kumar represented his native country at three consecutive Summer Olympics, represented for India in 307 international matches and scored 80 goals.

Source: The Hindu 5. Shamsher Khan: One of the earliest swimmers who represented India in the Olympics. Now all of 84 years, Shamsher, a native of Kaithepalli near Repalle in Guntur district, struggles to make both ends meet. The Olympian had finished fourth in the race in 1956, but was not cared for after retiring as Subedar in the Indian Armed Forces.

Source: Indian Army Fans FB 6. Karnam Malleswari: She was the first woman in India to win an Olympic Medal. She has been the National Champion for nine years of her 10-year career. In 2011, she quit as the vice-president of Indian Weightlifting Federation as she disapproved of the functioning of the body and the attitude towards the sport and now keeps a low profile.

Source: Olympic.org 7. Tulsidas Balaram: Balaram, born in Ammuguda Village, Bollarum, started his career at Hyderabad. He was considered Asia’s finest forwards and was any football team’s first choice in India. He was one among the Asian All Star XI in his day. Today he lives in Kolkata after cutting ties with the entire football fraternity.