Ever since Peter Tirkey became Odisha’s first hockey international way back in 1982, around 50 players from the state’s northwestern district of Sundargarh have donned the national colours.
Many have gone on to lead the country and achieve multiple laurels, but the jewel in the crown is Dilip Tirkey.
Since making his senior international debut in the Indira Gandhi Gold Cup as an 18-year-old in 1995, Dilip made a record 412 appearances in India colours during a career spanning 15 years.
One of the world’s accomplished defenders of his time, Dilip was a nightmare for rival forwards because of his tight marking, great anticipation and quicksilver footwork. No wonder he was called the ‘wall of Indian hockey’.
One of the early exponents of drag-flick, Dilip scored most of his 75-odd international goals through penalty corners.
By far Odisha’s most successful sportsperson, Dilip competed in three consecutive Olympic Games – 1996 Atlanta, 2000 Sydney and 2004 Athens. The first tribal player to lead the Indian hockey team, Dilip had the distinction of leading the men in blue at the Athens Olympics. In the Sydney Games, Dilip was top-scorer with 4 goals with India finishing 7th.
An Olympic medal eluded Dilip, but he did enjoy success in several other tournaments. It was under his leadership that India overcame Pakistan to win the Afro-Asian Games in 2003. Gold medals in 1998 Bangkok Asian Games, 2003 Asia Cup (Kuala Lumpur) and 2007 Asia Cup (Chennai) embellished his CV, besides silver medal in the 2002 Busan Asian Games.
Not many living sportspersons have a stadium named after them, like Dilip has. The multipurpose Dilip Tirkey Stadium, located at the NIT campus in Rourkela, is used for hockey, as well as football and cricket.
Once Dilip called time on his career in 2010, he was a man in great demand. From being a politician, sports administrator, golfer to actor – Dilip has worn many hats.
He served as Rajya Sabha MP from Odisha, representing BJD, from 2012 to 2018. In between, he tried his luck in the 2014 Lok Sabha election, only to lose to BJP’s Juel Oram from Sundargarh constituency.
He also served as Chairman of Odisha Tourism Development Corporation and Odisha Hockey Promotion Council, before becoming the first player to be elected (unopposed) Hockey India president in September 2022.
He turned a professional golfer in 2020 and made his debut in the Golconda Masters that year. He dabbled in films too, essaying a role in the 2010 Odia movie ‘Toro Moro Katha Heba Chup Chap’.
A living legend, Dilip has been decorated with multiple awards, including Padma Shri, Arjuna and Eklabya Puraskar.
