1980 Olympics Special Interview - Mervyn Fernandes: The gold medal was a recognition of our dedication and hard work

We believed in our potential and playing to our strengths against the USSR and Spain proved that we were on track.

Mervyn Fernandes was part of the victorious field hockey team from the 1980 Moscow Olympics. | Photo Credit: .EMMANUAL YOGINI/ The Hindu

Sometimes it’s nice to revisit the good old memories. Back in 1980, I embarked on my first Olympics as a 21-year-old. Naturally, I was excited to be in the Games village in Moscow and soak in every bit of it.

As we entered the village, we were awestruck. People cheered for us and with the presence of so many athletes from across the globe, it felt like a dream come true. The atmosphere was exhilarating and I still remember every bit of it. Of course, winning the gold medal for the country — after three not-so-memorable editions in 1968, 1972 where India finished third and slumped to a seventh finish in 1976 — was the icing on the cake.

We believed in our potential, and playing to our strengths against the USSR and Spain proved that we were on track. So eventually, clinching the gold medal was immensely validating.

Under the leadership of Vasudevan Baskaran, the team played as a unit. All of us backed each other through thick and thin and that was evident in our performance on the field. We would hang out together, have meals or even go to discotheques to take the pressure off and being like a family helped us during those weeks.

Most of us were young with hardly any international experience. In fact, many of us — including myself, (MM) Somaya, (Mohammed) Shahid, Zafar (Iqbal) — were playing for the first time in the same team at the international level and the seasoned Baskaran ensured that the team gelled well. We were taught about teamwork and discipline. Even though we did not have any match practice ahead of the Games, we did have a national camp in Bengaluru, where we had a session with field marshal Sam Manekshaw. It was an incredible experience.

The members of the Indian Olympic Hockey team members photographed before their departure for the summer Olympic Games in Moscow, Russia. | Photo Credit: THE HINDU ARCHIVES

Initially, we could not even believe that  the Sam Manekshaw was amongst us to talk about hockey. He stressed on discipline. I also remember how a few senior players were not allowed in the camp as they did not come in time, so that was the level of discipline and strictness we had. Everyone was serious about the team and Manekshaw’s visit made us proud that a man of his stature took time out to address us.

People often ask me how we handled pressure and, to be honest, when you are young, you do not think about all those factors. You just train well and want to give your best and Baskaran advised us to play our natural game. That helped us handle diverse situations.

The only time the pressure got to me was on the eve of the final. I had a sleepless night and just thought about the fact that we will make history if we bagged that coveted gold medal, after 16 years. In a team meeting that followed, Baskaran and our coach cooled our nerves and motivated us to play to our potential.

I remember seniors like Bir Bahadur Chhetri told us to treat the final like any other game. Since we had performed well against Spain and the USSR previously, in the early games we just needed to ride on the momentum. Most importantly, we had some really good and talented players in all the positions who stepped up when it mattered the most.

It has been 44 years since that iconic victory, but every time I remember those days, it makes me emotional. As the national anthem played and we were handed the gold medals, I could remember the struggles my father had to face to make me a hockey player. He, too, wanted to play the game but couldn’t, so he left no stone unturned to help me fulfill my dreams.

Back then, we would stay in Ambernath, about 50 kms from Mumbai, but he always took me to watch international hockey fixtures and helped me realise my dream.

I also can’t thank my school enough because, without their support, a 21-year-old wouldn’t have been able to be part of history.

With the gold hanging around our neck, our eyes were moist. Those were the tears of joy and that medal was a recognition of our dedication and hard work!

As told to Shayan Acharya