A firm handshake and a welcoming smile, that is how one of the oldest living Olympians — Leo Pinto — greets us at his residence in Bandra. Oblivious to the news that India had failed to make it to the Olympics in 80 years, it was a normal morning for Pinto, hero of the 1948 London Olympics.

He had started with his routine exercises in the morning at 5 am. But things changed at 8 am when he got a call from Tata sports secretary Eddie Sequeira. One of the finest goalkeepers of his era, Pinto said. “It’s a sad day for Indian hockey, but you could see it coming.”

Though anguished on hearing about India’s latest debacle, Pinto mellowed down to say a few words in defence of the boys: “We don’t have enough astro-turf surfaces and therefore cannot complain. It takes time to adapt.”

And without batting an eyelid added: “The European countries have mended the rules in hockey to suit their needs.”

Pinto, who came to India from Nairobi at the age of eight, was famous for his antics under the goal. He remembers those crucial matches at the London Olympics and says, “In the first semi-final, Pakistan went down to England and the mood in the team was that Holland would also beat us.” But all their fears were put to rest when a charged-up India edged out the Dutch 2-1 and the role played by Pinto in that win went down into the annals of hockey history.

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