Ignace Tirkey

Ignacious "Ignace" Tirkey is an Indian field Hockey player. He plays as a Fullback and has captained the Indian team.[1]

Ignacious Tirkey
Personal information
Born (1981-05-10) 10 May 1981 (age 43)
Lulkidihi, Sundergarh, Odisha, India
Playing positionFullback
Senior career
YearsTeam
Services
2005–?Chennai Veerans
2007–2008Orissa Steelers
National team
YearsTeamApps (Gls)
2001–2012India250+
Medal record
Men’s field hockey
Representing  India
Asian Games
Silver medal – second place2002 BusanTeam
Asia Cup
Gold medal – first place2003 Kuala LumpurTeam
Gold medal – first place2007 ChennaiTeam
Asian Champions Trophy
Gold medal – first place2011 Ordos City

He also serves the Madras Engineering Group (Madras Sappers corps of engineers) Indian army as a commissioned officer. He holds the rank of Captain.

Early life

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Ignace Tirkey's younger brother Prabodh Tirkey also represented India in hockey. He is a product of Panposh Sports Hostel, Rourkela where he was spotted by Indian Army to help him pursue his career.

Career

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Tirkey made his debut for the national side in February 2001 at the Akbar el Yom Tournament in Cairo against Belgium. He was a member of Indian team that participated in the Athens Olympic in 2004, where India finished seventh. In club hockey, Tirkey played for Services.

He is most remembered for his goal that he scored between Pakistan's ace striker, Sohail Abbas's legs in the final minutes of 2003 Asia Cup final to give India the winning lead after both teams were locked at 2-2 (India eventually added a 4th goal in the last minute). The match won India its first gold in Asia Cups.[2]

Another highlight of his was in the Muruguppa Gold Cup in Aug 2001, where he scored a golden goal to win final, and thereafter in December 2002 during the National Games in Hyderabad.

Awards

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S.No.AwardsYear
1Padma Shree[3]2010
2Arjuna Award2009
3Ekalavya Puraskar2003
4Services Sportsman of the Year2004

References

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  1. ^ "IHF ignores Dhanraj Pillay". The Hindu. 3 May 2004. Archived from the original on 4 June 2004. Retrieved 26 January 2010.
  2. ^ "India win Asia Cup". Rediff. 28 September 2003. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
  3. ^ "Padma Awards" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 October 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
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