On this day: Pakistan ends India's golden run at Olympics

India’s gold winning streak in hockey came to an end in the 1960 Rome Olympics when it lost to Pakistan 1-0 in the final.


The captains of the medal winning hockey team take the podium on September 9 at the 1960 Rome Olympics. In the centre is Pakistan's Abdul Hamid, Leslie Claudius (left) of India and on the right is Santos Dualde of Spain. - The Hindu Archives

After wearing the Olympic hockey crown from 1928 when the game was re-introduced in the Olympic programme, India surrendered the title today to her neighbour Pakistan losing by the narrowest of margins. The result once again proved that no country or no person could hold the championship in any sport for a long time, and India perhaps had a record in hockey, having won this title six times in succession. Now every effort should be made to regain the title in Tokyo in 1964.