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Leslie Walter Claudius (25 March 1927[1] – 20 December 2012[2]) was an Indian field hockey player[3] from Bilaspur. He studied in South Eastern Railway (Now SECR) English Medium School Bilaspur which has produced many national sportsmen.

Leslie Walter Claudius

Personal information
Born	(1927-03-25)25 March 1927 Bilaspur, British India
Died	20 December 2012(2012-12-20) (aged 85) Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Height	5 ft 4 in (163 cm)
Playing position	Halfback
Senior career
Years	Team
	Bengal Nagpur Railway
	Calcutta Customs
National team
Years	Team	Apps (Gls)
1948–1960	India	100+
Medal record Men's Field Hockey Representing  India Olympic Games 1948 London Team 1952 Helsinki Team 1956 Melbourne Team 1960 Rome Team Asian Games 1958 Tokyo Team

Leslie Claudius shares with Udham Singh the distinction of being one of only two Indian players to win four Olympic medals in field hockey. To his gold medals in 1948, 1952 and 1956, he added silver in 1960 when he captained the team. He was the first player ever to earn 100 caps, and competed for India, in addition to the Olympics, on their European tour of 1949, Malaysian tour of 1952, Australian and New Zealand tours of 1955, and at the 3rd Asian Games in 1958. After the 1960 Olympics, he continued to compete domestically, retiring after the 1965 season. In 1971, he became the sixth Indian hockey player to be given the Padma Shri Civil award by the Indian government.

Leslie Claudius had joined Calcutta Customs Department as Preventive Officer and retired as Assistant Collector of Customs. He was a member of Calcutta Customs Club and represented the Calcutta Port Customs Commissionerate in the Aga Khan Tournament in 1948. Leslie Claudius not only brought international glory but also kept the Calcutta Customs Club flag flying high. [4]

Career

Early career

Claudius was initially interested in football and as an accomplished player, he got a chance to play for the Bengal and Nagpur Railway. But, his talent in field hockey was spotted by Dickie Carr, who was a part of the Indian team that won the gold medal at the 1936 Olympics. Claudius was then inducted into the Bengal and Nagpur Railway hockey team that Carr was a part of. The team finished second in the Beighton Cup and Claudius quit football for hockey.[5]

International career

Claudius was a member of India's generation of hockey that won the Olympic gold in 1948, 1952 and 1956 and silver in 1960.[1] He was the first hockey player to have competed in four Olympics and also the first to earn a hundred international caps.[6] He captained the Indian team for the first team in 1959, with Dhyan Chand, often considered India's greatest hockey player ever as the coach, and led them to the second-place finish at the 1960 Olympics in Rome.[5]

Team Manager

Claudius was appointed as the manager of the Indian team in 1978 for the Bangkok Asian Games.

Personal life

Claudius was of Anglo-Indian descent. His son, Robert, was also an Indian international who represented his country at the World Cup in Mexico in 1978. Leslie died after a prolonged battle with cirrhosis of liver.[7] Leslie had three more sons, one who stayed with him in Kolkata and two who live in Melbourne. His son Robert (Bobby) Claudius played Hockey World Cup in Mexico for India in 1978; he died the same year in Kolkata (then Calcutta) in a road accident.

Awards and recognition

• In 1971 he was awarded the Padma Shri.
• Mention in the Guinness Book of World Records along with Udham Singh for having won the most number of Olympic medals in field hockey.[8]
• In 2011 The West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee presented the Bharat Gaurav award instituted by East Bengal Club to Leslie Claudius.[9]
• For the 2012 Olympics, the Bushey tube station was renamed after Claudius in the special "Olympic Legends Map". He was one of six all-time hockey greats who were honored in this manner.
• In 2012 he was awarded The Banga Bibhushan.[10]
• A road in Maidan was named after him as Leslie Claudius Sarani in 2015.[11][12]

Death

Claudius died in Kolkata on 20 December 2012, after a prolonged battle with cirrhosis of liver. He was survived by his wife and three sons. He is buried in Lower Circular Road cemetery, Kolkata.

See also

• List of Indian field hockey captains in Olympics

References

External links

• Leslie Claudius at Olympedia

На других языках

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[de] Leslie Claudius

Leslie Walter Claudius (* 25. März 1927 in Bilaspur; † 20. Dezember 2012 in Kalkutta[1]) war ein indischer Hockeyspieler. Mit drei olympischen Goldmedaillen und einer olympischen Silbermedaille war Leslie Claudius zusammen mit seinem langjährigen Mitspieler Udham Singh der erfolgreichste Hockeyspieler der olympischen Geschichte. Gleichzeitig sind die beiden Spieler die erfolgreichsten indischen Olympiateilnehmer.

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- [en] Leslie Claudius

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[fr] Leslie Claudius

Leslie Walter Claudius est un joueur de hockey sur gazon indien, né le 25 mars 1927 à Bilaspur, et mort le 20 décembre 2012[1].

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[it] Leslie Claudius

Leslie Walter Claudius (25 marzo 1927 – Calcutta, 20 dicembre 2012) è stato un hockeista su prato indiano.

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[ru] Клаудиус, Лесли

Ле́сли Уо́лтер Клáудиус (англ. Leslie Walter Claudius, 25 марта 1927, Биласпур, Уттар-Прадеш, Британская Индия — 20 декабря 2012, Калькутта, Индия) — индийский хоккеист английского происхождения (хоккей на траве), полузащитник. Трёхкратный олимпийский чемпион 1948, 1952 и 1956 годов, серебряный призёр летних Олимпийских игр 1960 года.

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