Legendary Sprinter Milkha Singh Passes Away After Battle With COVID-19
Legendary Indian sprinter Milkha Singh passed away on June 18 after a long battle with COVID-19. He was 91.
Milkha was married to Nirmal Kaur, a former captain of the Indian women's volleyball team, for 58 years. She died five days before Milkha due to COVID-19.
Milkha Singh was born in Govindpura, which is now in Pakistan, and was orphaned when his parents were killed by a Muslim mob during the partition.
He joined the Indian Army in 1951 and was introduced to athletics. He was was selected for special training in athletics after finishing sixth in a mandatory cross-country run for new recruits.
Milkha Singh won gold medals in the 200m and 400m events at the 1958 Tokyo Asian Games. He won two further golds in 400m and 400m relay at the 1062 Jakarta Asian Games.
He earned the sobriquet of The Flying Sikh following a race in Pakistan in 1960. After Milkha beat Abdul Khaliq, Pakistan's General Ayub Khan remarked, "You didn't run today, you flew".
At the 1960 Rome Olympics, Milkha Singh came perilously close to winning an Olympic medal but he finished fourth in a tight 400m race in which he beat the Olympic record.
Milkha Singh was awarded the Padma Shri in 1958 and was promoted to junior commissioned officer.
His life was immortalised on the big screen in 2013 with the release of the biopic Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, starring Farhan Akhtar.