First Keralite to Win Olympic Medal Manuel Frederick Passes Away at 78
The first Keralite to win an Olympic medal, former national hockey team goalkeeper Manuel Frederick passed away in Bengaluru in 2025. The 78-year-old was under treatment for cancer for some time.
Frederick, who hails from Kannur, was a member of the Indian team that won bronze at the 1972 Munich Olympics, defeating the Netherlands. A recipient of the Dhyan Chand award for Lifetime Achievement in Sports and Games in 2019, he played for the national team for seven years, from 1971 to 78.