OUR OLYMPIC HEROES By Norman Da Costa

Some of the greatest sportsmen grew up in humble surroundings. Pele, Diego Maradona and Ronaldinho are among those who reached the pinnacle of their profession through sheer perseverance. None could afford a football so they improvised by using a sock stuffed with newspapers, tied up tightly with twine. They played barefooted on uneven street surfaces to hone their skills and went on to become soccer supernovas by capturing the coveted World Cup for their countries. While donning the country’s jersey is the high point of every soccer player in the world, it was the dream of every young Goan sportsman to represent their country at the Olympic Games. Surprisingly, some parallels can be drawn to some of our field hockey players who grew up in the Railway quarters and went on to achieve the dream they nurtured - competing in the Olympic Games. Contd/Page 15

Even though there was a first-class murram pitch a mere stone’s throw away from the Railway quarters on Park Road, it was reserved for the RGI’s main team and strictly out of bounds for the youngsters. But that didn’t stop the more than 24 budding players from practising on a rough patch of murram that was christened Bhoja Stadium as it was directly behind the quarters of a Mr. Bhoja. It was here Alu Mendonca, Hilary Fernandes, his younger brother Leo, Reynolds de Souza and Silu Fernandes polished their skills and went on to make an indelible impression on the sporting scene where the game was popular. Nothing came easy for these Olympic stars. They couldn’t afford hockey sticks or balls and, in most cases, a pair of those Bata shoes lasted well after the first holes pockmarked the soles. “The Bata shoes cost five shillings but they didn’t last more than a few games,’’ recalls Hilary Fernandes. “But our parents couldn’t buy us shoes every month as in most households it was usually only the father who worked. “We saved these shoes only for games. We cut cardboard pieces to use as insoles to cover the holes in our shoes. Once the shoes were too worn out we played barefooted.’’ Hockey balls were expensive, and Hilary would take the old one home and nail and glue the leather flaps together. That’s not all he glued and nailed together as he chased his dream of excelling at his sport. Hilary had to share the ONE hockey stick he got as a birthday present with his four brothers. But this was a minor inconvenience for the ingenious inside right. Hilary would pick up broken sticks after league games and fasten them together with carpenter’s glue and the Fernandes clan was in business. The glue that he used obviously rubbed off on him as the world’s greatest defenders had problems dislodging the ball off his stick and it is little wonder that (like the late Sir Stanley Matthews) he was dubbed the master of dribble. Hilary represented Kenya at three Olympics (Rome, Tokyo and Mexico) and also had the honour of captaining the national team. If Hilary made his mark with his vision and stickwork, Alu Mendonca took the world of hockey by storm with his speed and a cannonball shot that had goalkeepers quivering in their boots. He was undoubtedly the finest Goan player of his era. Mendonca was hailed one of the world’s greatest left-wingers and had the unique honour of representing Kenya at four Olympics (Melbourne 1956, Rome, Tokyo, Mexico 1968). He then made it six a row as national coach to Munich and Montreal. Silu Fernandes was an uncompromising half back who was selected to three Olympics and also captained Kenya, while right winger Leo Fernandes also went to three. Goalkeeper Saude George made two Olympic appearances. The silky-smooth inside left Reynolds de Souza was at two Olympiads, along with outcasts from the Coast who played for the RGI – Raphael Fernandes, Patrick Martins and the late Reynolds Pereira. Another star from the Coast who played for the RGI and then earned an Olympic cap was Rui Saldanha – not for Kenya but Britain in Munich. Another ace who crowned his career with an Olympic appearance in Munich in 1972 was goalkeeper Philip de Souza. Prior to turning to tending goal for the RI, de Souza was Kenya and East African shot put champion on seven occasions. END Page 16