Sukhbir Singh Gill

Gill was born on 14 December 1975 in Chandigarh.^[1] He graduated from Shivalik Public School in Chandigarh and later from the DAV College in the same city. During his time at the university, he represented Panjab University.^[2] He also represented Chandigarh at the junior nationals. He made a debut with the India men's national team at the 1995 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Malaysia where the country emerged as the champions. He played as a midfielder. An obituary at Olympics.com called him a "crafty midfielder".^[1]

He represented the Indian men's national team at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, 2002 Hockey World Cup in Kuala Lumpur, and the 2002 Hockey Champions Trophy in Cologne.^[2] He was the first hockey player from the union territory of Chandigarh to represent the country at the Olympics.^[1][3]

Gill was diagnosed with a brain tumour in December 2006, but after undergoing a surgery he continued playing at tournaments including the 2007 Premier Hockey League representing the Chandigarh Dynamos.^[2][4] He also played the subsequent editions of the tournament with protective headgear.^[4] His teammates called him Thabad (transl. gutsy) referring to his resilience in continuing to play after his diagnosis.^[4] After his retirement, he continued to remain associated with the game, serving as a coach at a hockey academy at Shivalik Public school.^[2] He was employed with Bharat Petroleum.^[4]

Gill died on 26 January 2024 in Chandigarh, at the age of 48, 17 years after he was first diagnosed with a recurrent brain tumour.^[5] He had had multiple surgeries for his brain tumour, and had gone into a comatose state a few days prior to his death.^[4] He was married with two children.^[1]

• Sukhbir Singh Gill at Olympedia