Untold Story! Vece Paes borrowed Olympic medal from Dhyan Chand’s son after losing his; but his final wish went unfulfilled

Vece Paes (R), with his son Leander Paes, won the bronze medal at 1975 Munich Olympics.

Speaking to TimesofIndia.com

I handed him my medal, the Olympic medal, for six months. It was not easy to part with it. You know what that means Ashok Kumar, son of Major Dhyan Chand

The gentleman centre-half

File photo of Dr Vece Paes.

A big loss to not just hockey, but Indian sports

Leander Paes (L) with his father Dr. Vece Paes (R). (Image: X)

NEW DELHI: In the twilight of his life, as Parkinson’s turned his once-fluid stride into a careful shuffle and dulled the precision that had danced through his every move, Dr Vece Paes carried a quiet longing.The 80-year-old, who drew his last breath on Thursday morning, wanted to once again feel the weight of the bronze medal he had won for India at the 1972 Munich Olympics. Ashok Kumar , son of Major Dhyan Chand and Paes’s former teammate, remembered their meeting in Kolkata two years ago.The disease had slowed Paes’s movements, each step deliberate, each pause longer than it once was.“It was difficult for him to walk or sit,” Ashok recalled, his voice softening. “But his mind… it was still sharp. He told me his Olympic medal had been misplaced during shifting. He wanted to have the medal from me and make a replica.”Ashok, who had played with Paes at Mohun Bagan and shared the same medal in Munich 53 years ago, didn’t hesitate.“I handed him my medal, the Olympic medal, for six months. It was not easy to part with it. You know what that means,” Ashok, now 75, continued.Paes took the medal to craftsmen in Mumbai, then tried again in Kolkata.“He tried everywhere,” Ashok said. “But the replica was never made. Finally, he gave it back to me.“He was one of the best centre-halves. We won the Calcutta League with him in 1969. As a person? Like a saint. A helpful doctor in the truest sense.”T wo-time Olympic medallist Ajit Pal Singh, captain of India’s 1975 World Cup-winning team and one of Paes's closest friends, first knew 'Doc' as a rival for the same position.“I always feared Vece Paes,” the 78-year-old said with the fondness audible in his voice.“That fear kept me on my toes, to stay fit, to play well, otherwise, he could replace me. He was a gentleman, very polished, very polite. Never fought with anyone. Minding his own business was his style.”The two shared the Olympic dressing room in Munich.“You can’t doubt the calibre of someone who makes an Olympic side,” Ajit Pal said. “He was fit, perfect. We were rivals once, but always cordial. No curt words, no grudges.”Even off the turf, the Paes family was woven into Indian sport.“His wife played basketball for India with my wife,” Ajit Pal recalled. “It’s rare to see that kind of all-round sporting pedigree; father and son Leander, both Olympic bronze medallists. Remarkable. It's very sad that Vece Paes is gone today. It's a big loss to Hockey.”Paes’s contributions to Indian sport extended far beyond the pitch.A sports medicine specialist, he worked with the Asian Cricket Council and the BCCI, spearheading anti-doping education programmes long before the term became a fixture in Indian sporting discourse.He headed the Indian Rugby Football Union for six years, and presided over the Calcutta Cricket and Football Club, an institution as old as organised sport in India.And yet, when friends speak of him now, their voices return not to boardrooms or positions, but to a single, unfinished search, the Olympic medal he had lost.The medal may be gone, and so is the man, but the respect and affection he earned will always remain.

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