| Olympic medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's Field Hockey | ||
| Competitor for India | ||
| Gold | 1948 London | Team Competition |
| Gold | 1952 Helsinki | Team Competition |
Kunwar Digvijay Singh (February 2, 1922 in Barabanki – March 27, 1978 in Lucknow), popularly known as "K.D.Singh 'Babu'", was an Indian field hockey player. He was born in Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh. Babu's artistry, craftsmanship and creative instincts saw him blossom into one of the finest inside-rights that India has produced. His ball and body control was instinctive, a sort of sixth sense.
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He was first selected to All India Hockey Team in 1946-47 for the tour to Afghanistan. He played in the capacity of vice-captain in the 1948 Olympic Games. He was the captain of the gold medal-winning Indian team at 1952 Helsinki Olympics Games. The Indian team won a gold medal on both occasions. The 1948 outing was the first Olympic participation of India as an independent nation, which made the gold medal victory a very important achievement for the nascent nation even though it had won the Olympic gold in 1928, 1932 and 1936.
He later served as the coach for Indian hockey team for the 1972 Munich Olympics. K.D. Singh Babu was a member of numerous organisations that include All India Council of Sports, Railway Board, Rifle Association of India and Wild Life Protection Committee of Uttar Pradesh.
On March 27, 1978, he died of a gunshot wound from his own weapon. He had committed suicide owing to being plagued by personal problems [1].