1972 Munich Olympics bronze medal-winning hockey goalkeeper Manuel Frederick dies at 78

Former Indian men’s hockey team goalkeeper and member of the 1972 Munich Olympics bronze medal-winning side Manuel Frederick died in Bengaluru on Friday morning.

Frederick was 78 and is survived by two daughters.

He had been suffering from prostate cancer for the last 10 months.

Frederick, born on October 20, 1947 in Barnasseri in Kannur, was the first athlete from Kerala to win an Olympic medal.

The only other sportsperson from the state to win Olympic medals is PR Sreejesh, who won bronze in the Tokyo and Paris Olympics.

Frederick, who had moved to Bengaluru long back, was also suffering from depression after his wife, Sheetala passed away a year back.

“Dad passed away this morning. He was suffering from cancer for the last 10 months and was also depressed after our mother expired a year back,” his daughter Freshna told PTI.

“We tried our best but he developed jaundice in the end and his liver got affected, which aggravated his condition.”

Frederick had received the Major Dhyan Chand Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sports and Games in 2019.