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Chandigarh Hockey legend no more
Sukhbir Singh Gill, an Olympian, passed away at 48
Sukhbir Singh Gill on the field / X - @virenrasquinha
Sukhbir Singh Gill, the former Indian men’s hockey Olympian, breathed his last at the age of 48, on January 26. Gill succumbed to a prolonged battle with a recurring brain tumour.
Born on December 14, 1975, Gill’s journey in hockey began at the Shivalik Public School and Sector-42 Hockey Stadium. He later joined the Indian under-21 men’s hockey team for a four-nation tournament in Belgium, after representing Chandigarh at the junior nationals.
Gill was a midfielder who made his senior team debut at the 1995 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup. Notably, he went on to become the first hockey player from Chandigarh to represent India at the Sydney 2000 Olympics and finished at the seventh place.
Moreover, he won a gold medal for the Indian team at Men’s Hockey Champions Challenge in Malaysia, 2001. The win allowed the team to compete in the FIH Champions Trophy in Cologne Germany in following year, 2002.
My friend & teammate Sukhbir Singh Gill passed away today after a prolonged illness. He represented India in Hockey at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. He was my room mate in the 2002 Koln Champions Trophy. Gem of a person.
— Viren Rasquinha (@virenrasquinha) January 26, 2024
Rest in peace Gill paaji. You will always be remembered. pic.twitter.com/AK1zUK9ry4
The Olympian was first diagnosed with a brain tumour in December 2006, which did not stop him from playing the game. He underwent surgery and continued playing hockey for Bharat Petroleum. He was a part of the Chandigarh Dynamos team in the Premier Hockey League.
After retiring from the sport, Gill ran an academy at the Shivalik Public School, Mohali. However, following his 2021 brain tumour spell, his health declined. He is survived by his wife, mother, a 19-year-old daughter, and a 14-year-old son.
Condoling his teammate’s death, Viren Rasquinha, Olympian and former captain of the Indian hockey team, wrote on X, “My friend & teammate Sukhbir Singh Gill passed away today after a prolonged illness. He represented India in Hockey at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. He was my room mate in the 2002 Koln Champions Trophy. Gem of a person. Rest in peace Gill paaji. You will always be remembered.”
The official handle of Hockey India grieved the passing away of the man who put Chandigarh on sports map. They wrote, “Gone too early. Hockey India expresses condolences to the family of Sukhbir Singh Gill. Sukhbir was part of our Golden Generation of late 90’s and Early 2000’s, we shall never forget his contribution to Indian Hockey. Rest in peace.”
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