The Indians, this time led by the wizard Dhyan Chand himself, did not receive an altogether pleasant welcome in Germany. Just a day after their arrival in Germany, they lost against a German side, 4-1. India beat Hungary 4-0, United States 7-0 and Japan 9-0. Dara joined the team for the 10-0 massacre of France in the semi-finals. Indians had not conceded a single goal in their march to the finals.

India met Germany in the final on August 15, 1936. A crowd of around 40,000 people, the biggest crowd till then to witness an Olympic hockey match, had gathered. Among the audience was the ruler of Baroda, the princess of Bhopal and other Indians who had travelled from the Continent, and of course Hitler, who left the match midway, disgusted at Germany`s plight.

India was up by 6 goals in the finals. The Germans decided to play a rough game and went after Dhyan Chand, which resulted in a broken tooth for the Indian captain, due to the German goalkeeper. Coming back after receiving first aid, Dhyan Chand, now playing barefoot instructed his team to go easy on goals. As the stunned crowd watched, the Indians repeatedly took the ball up to the German circle and then back passed to mystify their opponents. India vanquished Germany 8-1 in the finals to win its third successive Olympic gold medal.

The supreme tribute to Dhyan was by a sports club in Vienna, which built a statue of Dhyan Chand with four hands and four sticks. To the Viennese, no man with two hands and one stick could have played the way Dhyan Chand did.

India`s record in the 1936 Olympics at Berlin:

  • Played: 5

  • Won: 5

  • Goals For: 38

  • Goals Against: 1


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