Birendra Lakra
Birendra Lakra is an Indian former field hockey player. He represented India in men's field hockey and recently came out of retirement alongside Rupinderpal Singh and captained the Indian team in the Field hockey at the [2018 Asian Games – Men's tournament|men's tournament of field hockey at the 2018 Asian Games], held in Jakarta, Indonesia, winning a bronze medal. In the 2020 Tokyo Olympics also, he also served as the vice-captain of Indian team.
Personal life
Birendra Lakra was born on 3 February 1990 in the village of Lachchada in the Sundargarh District of Odisha, on the border with Jharkhand. He was born to a family belonging to an Oraon tribe.Career
Birendra Lakra is a player for the Rourkela Steel Plant's SAIL Hockey Academy. He was included in the Indian junior team for the first time for the Singapore tour in 2007. He represented India in the Test series against South Africa in 2012, in the Hockey [Champions Challenge I|Champions Challenge tournament] in South Africa in 2011, at the SAAF Games at Dhaka in 2010, at the Youth Olympics at Sydney in 2009 and at the Junior World Cup at Singapore in 2009.He scored the first goal in India's victory in the final game of the Olympic Hockey Qualifying Tournament against France. He played a key role in taking India in to the semifinals of 2012 Champions Trophy. India defeated Belgium with the help of a single goal that was produced by the pass given by Birendra Lakra to the forward. With this India reached the semifinals of the Champions Trophy for the first time in eight years.
At the 2014 Commonwealth Games, Lakra won a silver medal with India.