One of the legendary hockey players and the oldest Olympian, Leo Pinto, breathed his last yesterday. He was 96.
One of the legendary hockey players and the oldest Olympian, Leo Pinto, breathed his last yesterday. He was 96. Born in 1914 at Nairobi, Kenya, Pinto donned the role of a goalkeeper with distinction and was a member of the gold medal-winning 1948 London Olympics team. Pinto could have donned national colours at the 1936 Berlin Games, but a serious concussion of the brain during the trials put paid to his hopes. An all-round sportsman, Pinto moved to Mumbai from Nairobi at the age of eight.
He played hockey, football and cricket (wicketkeeper) for his school, St Stanislaus (Bandra).
Pinto, who took up the sport as a goalkeeper at the age of 13, played for Byculla Rovers, the then famous Lusitanians and the star-studded Tata SC for 27 years. After his playing days Pinto became a coach and then a member of the national selection panel.
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