Remembering the day when Pakistan finally became Olympic champions

Last month javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem gave Pakistan its first-ever individual Olympic gold medal in Paris.

On September 9, 1960, exactly 64 years ago, it was the Pakistan hockey team that earned Pakistan not just its first-ever Olympic gold but more importantly gave a new-born country an identity when it needed one.

This is the story of the star hockey players, who laid the foundation of the country’s hockey empire in the fifties and put it firmly on the international sports map with their historic title-winning triumph in The Eternal City.

How it all started

It took Pakistan 12 years to finally reach their most cherished hockey goal: winning an Olympic gold.

Just a year after gaining independence, Pakistan sent their Olympic contingent to the 1948 Summer Games in London. Unlike the small squad of just seven athletes that Pakistan sent to Paris last month, the all-men national contingent included 39 participants. They competed in seven disciplines: athletics, boxing, cycling, hockey, swimming, weightlifting and wrestling.

However, it was quite clear that if Pakistan had any hopes of winning an Olympic medal, it lay in hockey. Under the captaincy of A.I.S. Dara, who represented undivided India in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Pakistan reached the semifinals following wins against Belgium (2-1), Denmark (9-0), France (3-1) and Netherlands 6-1.

However, in the semifinals, Pakistan lost to Great Britain 2-0. In the play-off for bronze, Pakistan played a draw with the Dutch. The game was replayed the following day with the Dutch winning 4-1.

In the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki, Pakistan marched into the semis only to fall to Netherlands, who won 1-0. Pakistan were then beaten by Great Britain 2-1 in the play-off for third place. Still no medal.

Finally, a medal!

Pakistan were a much-improved team when it landed in Melbourne for the 1956 Games.

Spearheaded by Abdul Hameed ‘Hameedi’, Pakistan beat Belgium 2-0 and New Zealand 5-1 before playing a goalless draw with Germany to secure a place in the semifinals. There they faced Great Britain who had beaten them in 1948 and 1952. Pakistan cruised to a 2-0 lead before Britain equalized. However, Pakistan managed to score the winning goal to set a date with title favorites India in the final.Pakistan

Pakistan and India hockey players in action in the final of the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome. Pakistan won 1-0

A dream comes true

Pakistan hockey crowning glory finally came in 1960 in Rome. And it was no fluke. Pakistan had already established themselves as one of the top teams in the world, having also won gold at the 1958 Asian Games in Tokyo where hockey was introduced for the first time.

So, the Pakistanis arrived in Rome brimming with confidence.

They were placed in Group C and were quick to issue a warning to chief rivals with a 3-0 win against formidable Australia. It was like a blitzkrieg as Pakistan stunned Aussie defences with the trio of Hameedi, Noor Alam and Mushtaq scoring the goals.

Pakistan then hammered Poland 8-0 with Hameedi striking thrice. Hameedi scored four more while Naseer Bunda added three to the tally as Pakistan trounced Japan 10-0.

Pakistan faced dangerous opponents – the United Team of Germany – in the quarterfinals. It was Bunda, who struck twice to give Pakistan a hard-fought 2-1 win. In the semi-finals, Pakistan edged Spain 1-0 with the solitary goal coming off a penalty corner by Manzoor Hussain Atif.

It was Pakistan vs India again.

The Indians were the undisputed champions on the hockey field. They were unbeaten in the Olympics since 1928.

Pakistan had never beaten India but this was a completely different Pakistani team. It was destined for glory.

The Bunda magic

The final turned out to be a fast-paced game and excellent advertisement of the charms of Asian-style hockey.

Both sides attacked like waves. But it was Pakistan, who were rewarded in the 13^th minute with a stunning field goal, perhaps the most important one in their hockey history. It was talismanic playmaker Hamidi who started the move as he shot a pass to right-out Noor Alam. He beat an Indian defender and hit a stinging carpet drive toward Bunda. The mercurial striker collected the ball at the top of the circle, sidestepped full-back Prthipal Singh and then beat the rushing goal Lakshman with a gold-winning shot from the right. The solitary goal was enough to end Pakistan’s gold medal drought as despite a series of attacks India failed to equalize.

The stunning triumph in Rome was celebrated across Pakistan. The hockey team was accorded a heroes’ welcome in Karachi, which was still the country's capital. The team was hosted by General Ayub Khan at the President’s House where it was announced that hockey was now officially the national sport of Pakistan.

It was truly Pakistan hockey’s finest hour.

Khalid Hussain is Editor Sports at Nukta