Viren Rasquinha
Viren Wilfred Rasquinha (born 13 September 1980) is an Indian field hockey player. He is the former captain of the country's national team, and was a member of the Indian team that finished seventh at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. He quit international hockey to pursue management studies at the age of 28.
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Viren Wilfred Rasquinha | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born |
13 September 1980 Maharashtra, India | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Midfielder | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bombay Republicans | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Air India | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Maratha Warriors | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indian Oil | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| HTC Stuttgarter Kickers | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012 - present | Mumbai Marines | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National team | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1999 - 2001-Junior India , 2002 - 2008 - India | India | 180 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Early life
Rasquinha was born in 1980 to parents Eric and Merlyn Rasquinha. He studied at St. Stanislaus High School in Bandra, Mumbai,[1] then graduated with a B.Com from MMK College in Bandra.
Hockey career
Rasquinha made his junior international debut in 1999, and was part of the team that won the 2001 Junior World Cup in Hobart, Australia.
He made his senior international debut as a midfielder in May 2002, at a Four Nation Tournament in Adelaide. After winning a silver medal at the 2002 Asian Games in Busan, and gold medals at the Asia Cup in Kuala Lumpur and the Afro-Asian Games in Hyderabad in 2003, he joined the Olympic team which finished seventh in Athens in the 2004 Olympic Games. He led the Indian Hockey team for the first time in the bilateral series against Pakistan in 2004. He was also captain of the Premier Hockey League team Maratha Warriors, and played for Tata Sports, Air India, and the Indian Oil Corporation, as well as 180 international matches. Rasquinha announced his retirement from hockey on 15 January 2008 at the age of 28, to pursue his studies.[2]
Business career
After retiring from hockey, Rasquinha studied for a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) at the Indian School of Business in Hyderabad. After completion of his MBA, he joined Olympic Gold Quest in 2009, and is now the CEO.[3]
Along with Pullela Gopichand and Abhinav Bindra, he was a member of the PMO Task Force after the 2016 Rio Olympics that prepared India's plans for the Olympic Games in 2020, 2024 and 2028. Their report was submitted to the PMO on 12 August 2017.
Rasquinha was named as one of the "Top 40 Under 40" leaders in India for 2017-18 by the Economic Times.
Personal life
Rasquinha got married in 2013 to Smitha Nair
Honours
- 2004, Shiv Chhatrapati Award from the Government of Maharashtra.
- 2005, Arjuna Award for Best Sportsman of the Year in Hockey.
References
- "Viren Rasquinha Interview". Retrieved 12 June 2007.
- "Viren Rasquinha on his retirement at 28". The Hindu. 29 December 2012. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
- "OLympic Gold Quest Management Team".