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Who was Milkha Singh?
Known as the Flying Sikh by his admirers, Milkha Singh was an Indian track and field sprinter and is the only athlete to win a gold medal in the 400 metres race at the Asian Games as well as the Commonwealth Games. Singh's time in the 1960 Olympics 400m final set a national record that stood for 40 years.
Milkha Singh's early Life
Born in 1929, he was orphaned during the 1947 partition and witnessed the death of his family members. He escaped the massacre and moved to Delhi.
He was persuaded by one of his brothers to join the Indian Army and was selected in 1951. Singh was introduced to athletics while serving at the same.
Milkha Singh's achievements
In the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games, he represented India in the 200m and 400m competitions but lost due to inexperience. In 1958, Singh broke the record in the 200m and 400m race in the National Games. He also won gold medals in the same events at the Asian Games.
In the same year, he won a gold medal in the 400m competition in the Commonwealth Games with a timing of 46.6 seconds.
In 1960, then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru persuaded Singh to run against Abdul Khaliq in Pakistan. He won the race and acquired the Flying Sikh nickname by General Ayub.
During the 1960 Rome Olympics, he was involved in a close-run final race in the 400m competition, where he managed to beat all other contenders but slowed down at 250m, costing him the medal. He was placed fourth in the race. Meanwhile, his timing in the same race was a national record until 1998.
Milkha Singh: Off-track
Singh was promoted to better ranks after Asian Games in 1958 and was also awarded Padma Shri for his achievements in the sport.
He was the Director of Sports in the Punjab Ministry of Education until his retirement in 1998. In 2001, he refused to accept Arjuna Award saying it is meant to recognise young sports stars and not one like him.
In May 2021, he was diagnosed with Covid-19 and after suffering for a month, he died on June 18 in Chandigarh, a few days after his wife died from the same.
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