Karachi: Rome Olympics gold medallist, centre-half Anwar Ahmed Khan died here on Friday evening after protracted illness. He was 81.

The deceased is survived by a widow, son Dr Adnan, daughters Shenila and Uzma besides grandchildren.

His funeral prayers will be offered on Saturday at Masjid-e-Uzma, KDA Sch­eme No. 1 after Zuhr prayers.

Anwar had remained admitted at the Aga Khan hospital recently following the multiple fractures that he had sustained in January this year. The family had just brought him home from the hospital the other day.

APP adds: Former Pakistan captain and chief selector Anwar Ahmed Khan died here after protracted illness.

Besides winning a gold medal in the Rome Olympics, the legendary centre-half Anwar was also a member of the Pakistan team which won two silver medals in the 1956 Melbourne and 1964 Tokyo Olympics. He was also a proud member of the Pakistan squad which clinched two Asian Games golds during his glittering career.

The lanky centre-half is ranked among the greatest hockey players the world has ever seen. He was reputed to be an outstanding all-round player who didn’t let the opposition dominate at any time. His inspirational presence and brilliance on the field is well remembered by his colleagues and contemporaries who were saddened by his departure on Friday.

Anwar was originally chosen as vice-captain of the Pakistan squad for the 1964 Olympic Games but he ended up leading the team in most of the matches since skipper Manzoor Hussain Atif was forced to miss several games due to injuries.

Anwar, a patriot to the hilt and a sincere supporter of Pakistan hockey, had appeared on a television show a few years back where he had got really emotional about the decline of the game in the country. He could not hold back his tears while commenting on the performance of the national team after they had finished at the bottom in the Delhi World Cup.

Former Pakistan captain and current chief selector Islahuddin Siddiqui paid glowing tributes to Anwar for his fabulous and outstanding contribution to Pakistan hockey and said players like him are irreplaceable.