KARACHI: Former Olympian and 1960 Rome Olympics gold medalist Abdul Waheed Khan passed away on Monday at the age of 85 in Karachi. Abdul Waheed suddenly fell ill on Monday morning and was rushed to hospital where doctors declared him dead on arrival.
The deceased’s son Faisal told media that Khan was rushed to a local hospital after his health deteriorated but he breathed his last before arriving at the medical facility. Abdul Waheed was born on Nov 30, 1936, in Rajpur town of Madhya Pradesh, India.
One of the greatest centre forwards of his time, he was part of the team that won the 1960 Rome Olympics. “He was one of the greatest centre forwards of his time,” said former Pakistan captain Islahuddin, who played alongside him for Customs. “We had a great a great combination in domestic hockey. I played in the right-in position. He was a prolific goal scorer. He rarely missed a goal sroring opportunity,” he added.
Islah said he was not only a great player, but also a great human being. “We had a long association. When I coached Pakistan, he was the manager. We together achieved a lot of success,” he added.
He was also part of the team that won 1962 Asian Games in Jakarta and also a silver medallist of the 1966 Asian Games in Bangkok. He scored a record 17 goals in the 1962 Asian Games including a double hat-trick.
He was also a member of the Pakistan hockey team that won the gold medal by defeating India in the final of the 1958 Asian Games in Tokyo. He also served as the manager of the Pakistan team. President Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) Brigadier Khalid Sajjad Khokhar and Secretary General Olympian Asif Bajwa expressed deep sorrow and grief over the demise of the legend.