Sukhbir Singh Gill

Sukhbir Singh Gill made his international début for the India men’s hockey team at the 1995 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Malaysia, with India winning the tournament. From then on Gill became a mainstay in the national team and played in multiple international competitions. In 2000 he became the first hockey player from Chandigarh to represent India at the Olympics when he competed at the Sydney Games. India finished third in their preliminary round before losing to Great Britain in the classification round to finish seventh overall. The following year he was part of the Indian team that won the Champions Challenge tournament in Kuala Lumpur, beating South Africa in the final. In 2002 he played at both the World Cup in Kuala Lumpur and the Champions Trophy in Cologne.

In December 2006 Gill was diagnosed with a brain tumour. He underwent surgery and continued to play, including representing the Chandigarh Dynamos in the 2007 Premier Hockey League in India. He played in further editions of the tournament wearing protective headgear, with his peers praising his resilience. Gill continued to work in the sport after his retirement where he coached at a local hockey academy. Sadly he died in January 2024 after his tumour returned. He was 48.