Arjuna Awardee Lalit Upadhyay As An Outstanding Field Hockey Player: A Case Study

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to highlight the outstanding performance, achievements and contributions of Olympic bronze medalist (Tokyo, 23rd July 2021), Commonwealth Games silver medalist (Birmingham, 29th July 2022), and Asian Games gold medalist (Hangzhou, 23rd September 2023), Arjuna Awardee Lalit Upadhyay, towards the promotion of Indian field hockey. The study also covers his sports background, biography, and educational qualifications. The data for this investigation were derived from personal records, official records, interviews, pictorial records, published material, and secondary sources. Survey techniques were used to obtain responses and reactions about Lalit Upadhyay from selected eminent sportspersons, coaches, family members, contemporaries, and physical educationists from across the country through a self-made questionnaire to gather the desired information. Lalit Upadhyay was the first Olympian from the nineties to win a medal in the Olympic Games without attending a sports college or sports hostel. Lalit represented the Indian field hockey team at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, where he contributed to winning a bronze medal, ending a 41-year drought. This achievement is significant in his life and sets an example for day boarding players. For his outstanding performance in field hockey, Lalit Upadhyay was awarded the Laxman Award in 2017-18 and was honored with the Arjuna Award by President Ram Nath Kovind in 2021