Kenneth Powell left cricket and started running and continued his feat till the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.
Image Credit source: AFP
India’s legendary player Kenneth Powell, who left cricket and did wonders in the athlete, has passed away on Sunday. He said goodbye to the world at the age of 82 in Bangalore. The whole country is mourning the death of Kenneth Powell. Kenneth, who kept a smile on his face even in the most difficult situations, was known in the sports world as The Gentleman Sprinter. He represented India in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Kenneth had performed amazingly in the Tokyo Olympics. He could not win a medal for the country, but his performance definitely made everyone happy.
He ran in the 100 meter race in the Tokyo Olympics. America’s Bob Hayes set a world record with 10.0 seconds and won the gold medal. Kenseth finished fourth in Heat 1 with a timing of 10.7 s and missed qualifying by a narrow margin.
Rest in Peace The Gentleman Sprinter, Kenneth Powell pic.twitter.com/sPKcISEJVc
— God ???? (@Fanboiiee) December 11, 2022
German player gifted shoes to Kenneth
According to an interview given to the Times of India, Kenneth, who was awarded the Arjuna Award, ran in the Olympics wearing special shoes. In fact, it was raining in Tokyo during the competition and the athletes ran in ankle-deep water. Indian players had spikes made in Patiala, but Kenneth had big brand shoes, which were gifted to him by German star Heinz Schumann during the Indo German meet.
Many gifts were received on return
Kenneth finished fourth in the Tokyo Olympics with 10.7 seconds and missed out on qualifying. Whereas in Heat 5, the Venezuelan player qualified in third place with 10.8 seconds. When Kenneth returned to India from the Olympics, many companies gave him gifts. Some gave a radio and some gave a bag as a gift. The Indian Olympic Association used to give a daily allowance of $8. At that time one dollar was equal to 5 rupees.
Source: www.tv9hindi.com