In the sport of field hockey India’s Maharaj Krishon Kaushik was a rare example of someone who excelled as both a player and a coach. Kaushik was part of the Indian team that won the gold medal at the 1980 Moskva Olympics. He scored three goals during the tournament including one in the final in their 4–3 win against Spain. After his playing career Kaushik went on to coach the India women’s hockey team at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, England. The Indian team started the Games slowly, winning only one of their three group games, but advanced to the quarter-finals of the tournament. They then had wins against South Africa and New Zealand, going on to face the hosts in the final. The match was tied at 2–2 with India scoring the winning goal in extra time to win the gold medal. The story of India’s victory was the inspiration behind the 2007 Hindi-language sports film Chak De! India.
Kaushik worked as the deputy director of sports in Haryana, as well as overseeing both the Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy and the National Hockey Academy in New Delhi. He was bestowed with the Arjuna Award in 1998 and the Dronacharya Award in 2002. Kaushik was 66-years-old when he died in May 2021 after contracting the coronavirus.
India