With the recent buzz around Manu Bhaker’s bronze medal in Paris, Barodians are taking a moment to remember Govindrao Sawant, a distinguished sportsman from Gujarat who brought honor to the state by winning a team silver at the 1960 Rome Olympics as a member of the Indian hockey team. Sawant remains the sole athlete from Gujarat to have secured an Olympic medal, though his legacy has faded over the years.
“Govindrao Sawant is a legendary figure in our sports history. Our team played exceptionally well, winning every match to reach the finals,” said Laxman Karanjgaonkar, secretary of the Gujarat State Athletics Association and executive member of the Athletics Federation of India.
“Despite losing the final to Pakistan and finishing as runners-up, Sawant’s silver medal is still a proud moment for us. Although we have sent many athletes to the Olympics since then, no one from Gujarat has won a medal after Sawant,” added Karanjgaonkar, who is also a delegate for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Born on November 25, 1935, into a middle-class family in the former Baroda state, Sawant showed a natural aptitude for hockey. He initially played for the Bombay province before Gujarat and Maharashtra became separate states in 1960. “Sawant first represented Bombay province in the 1951 Rangaswamy Cup, a senior national hockey tournament. His talent earned him a place in the Rome Olympics, where he won a silver medal,” said Vikas Prajapati, assistant director of the physical education department at MS University. Sawant displayed his dedication to physical fitness by regularly running 50km between Vadodara city and Padra.
Sawant’s agility and dribbling skills were highly noted during the 1950s Aga Khan hockey tournament. “He was a hardworking and talented sportsman,” recalled Sudhir Parab, an Arjuna Award winner. “We participated together in relay races in Vadodara and remained friends until his passing,” he said. Parab, a kho kho player, is the first sportsperson in India to receive an Arjuna Award in Indian sports and Gujarat’s first.
Sawant later joined the state reserve police (SRP) and retired as a deputy superintendent of police (DySP). After retiring from hockey in the early 1970s, he made significant contributions to the Baroda District Hockey Association (BDHA), mentoring numerous young players who went on to represent the state and national teams.
Despite his numerous achievements, Sawant faced neglect from the state government. In 2001, he underwent knee replacement surgery at SSG Hospital but lacked the funds to pay for it. “Sawant slipped into depression and died within months of the surgery. His family’s financial condition was poor, and his son even had to drive an auto-rickshaw for a living,” Parab shared.