Dilip Tirkey
Dilip Tirkey a odia, former captain of the Indian Hockey Team, (born November 24, 1977 in Savnamara near Sundargarh, Orissa) is a field hockey defender from India, who belongs to the Oraon tribe of Chota Nagpur. He made his international debut for the Indian national team in 1995 against England in the Indira Gandhi Gold Cup. He represented India in 1996 Atlanta, 2000 Sydney and 2004 Athens Olympics and had a total of 412 international caps. He is the only Adivasi to represent three Olympics and is considered as one of the best penalty corner hitters in the world. Dilip Tirkey’s playing position was of full back. He was best known for his penalty corner hit. Dilip was one of the most difficult defenders (because of his tight marking skill near goal post) to beat in the world. The young and dynamic player has made India proud of his glorious achievements on several occasions by his brilliant performance.
Dilip Tirkey was born to Vincent Tirkey a Oraon, Adivasi and former Oriya hockey player and Regina Tirkey on 23 November 1977.
His twin younger brothers Anoop Tirkey and Ajit Tirkey play for Railways. He married to Meera Tirkey on 6 February 2006 and is a father of one son. He was appointed as Deputy Manager, Air India, Bhubaneswar in 1996.
On March 22, 2012, he was elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha as one of the three Biju Janata Dal (BJD) candidates to the Upper House of Indian Parliament.
AWARDS
- Padma Shree 2004
- Arjun Award 2002
- Ekalavya award 1996
- ONGC-Hockey Year Book Award 1998
- Biju Patnaik Sportsperson of the Year Award 2004
- Ricoh Hockey Star of the Year 2009
HONOURS
- Included in the Junior World XI in 1997
- Included in the Asian XI in 2002
- Selected for World All-Star team in 2006
- Selected for World All-Star team in 2007
- Received the 2nd Ricoh Hockey Star of the Year Award in Bhubaneswar on July 6, 2010
- Received the honorary Doctorate from Sambalpur University on July 15, 2010
- Received the Odisha Living Legend Award from Orissadiary.com on Nov 11, 2011
