KANNUR: Manuel Frederick, the first person from Kerala to win an Olympic hockey medal, died at a hospital in Bengaluru on Friday morning while undergoing treatment for cancer, family sources said.

He was 78.

Frederick, who hailed from Kannur district in Kerala, was the goalkeeper of the Indian team that won the bronze medal by defeating Holland at the 1972 Munich Olympics.

He represented India for seven years and was honoured with the Dhyan Chand Award in 2019 for his contributions to sports.

Condoling his death, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said Frederick was among the best goalkeepers in the world during 1971-78, an era when goalkeepers played without helmets.

He was especially skilled at stopping penalty strokes, the chief minister said in a statement issued by his office.

Vij

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