Overview
Deepak Thakur Sonkhla (popularly known as Deepak Thakur) is a hockey forward in Indian team.
Family
Thakur’s father is an ex-serviceman and his mother a house-wife. His younger sister is a national badminton player.
Career
Junior level
Thakur became popular after his solo effort to help India win Junior World Cup Hockey Tournament in 2001 in Hobart, Australia. He scored double hat-trick in the tournament. The most memorable one was in final against unpredictable Argentina with score board showing 6-1. Other one was against the underdog, Scotland with a score of 7-1 rout. He finished the tournament with ten goals and was named the ‘Best Player of the Tournament’.
Senior level
He debuted for the Men’s National Team in June 1999 against Germany. He was part of national squad in 2000 Sydney and 2004 Athens Olympic.
Awards
He was awarded Arjuna Award in 2004 for taking Indian hockey to next higher level.