(20 November 1929 - 18 June 2021)
Legendary Indian athlete Milkha Singh, also known as ‘The Flying Sikh’, was an Indian track and field sprinter who was introduced to the sport while serving in the Indian Army. He is the only athlete to win gold in 400 meters at the Asian Games as well as the Commonwealth Games. He likewise won gold medals in the 1958 and 1962 Asian Games. He represented India in the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, and the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. He was awarded the Padma Shri, India's fourth-most noteworthy citizen honor, in acknowledgment of his accomplishments in the field of sports.
Early Life
20th November 1929 marks the birthdate of the "Flying Sikh" or Milkha Singh. He was born to a Rathore Rajput Sikh family residing in Govindpura ,a village which is approximately 10 kilometers away from the Muzaffargarh city in present-day Pakistan. He was orphaned during the Partition when his brother, two sisters, and parents were killed to death in the violence that broke out between the villagers and Islamic fanatics who were trying to convert them. He witnessed these brutal killings.
He shifted to Delhi and escaped Punjab where he lived with the family of his married sister for a short period. He was momentarily detained for traveling on a train without a ticket. His sister, Ishvar, sold all of her precious jewelry to get his release. Some of his time passed away at the refugee camp in Purana Qila and at a resettlement colony in Shahdara, both in Delhi.
Singh grew out of love for his life and decided to become a dacoit, but he was convinced by one of his siblings to attempt the recruitment tothe Indian Army. On his fourth attempt, he gained admission to the Indian Army, in 1951, and was introduced to athletics while stationed at the Electrical Mechanical Engineering Centre in Secunderabad. He was selected by the army for special training in athletics after finishing 6th in the cross country run for the new recruits. Milkha always recognized how the army acquainted him to the sport.
International Career
Singh presented India in the 200m and 400m marathons of the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games. His rawness made him lose a few marathons, yet it gave him information about training methods and his weakness.
In 1958, Singh set new records for the 200m and 400m in the National Games of India, held at Cuttack, and furthermore won gold awards in the Asian Games. He then won a gold medal in the 400m (440 yards as of now) contest at the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games with a period of 46.6 seconds.[10] This accomplishment made him the first gold medalist at the Commonwealth Games from free India. Before Vikas Gowda won the gold in 2014, Milkha was the only Indian male to have won an individual gold medal at those Games.
Jawaharlal Nehru motivated Singh to set aside his bitter and unpleasant memories of the partition and to rave effectively in 1960 against Abdul Khaliq in Pakistan, where a post-race remark by the then General Ayub Khan prompted him to get the title of ‘The Flying Sikh’. Some sources say that he set a worldwide record of 45.8 seconds in France, not long from before the Rome Olympics around the same time however the authority report of the Games records the record holder as Lou Jones, who ran 45.2 at Los Angeles in 1956. At those Olympics, he was engaged with a close-run final marathon in the 400m competition where he secured the fourth position. Singh had beaten all the main competitors other than Otis Davis and a medal had been expected due to his great form. The Age noted in 2006 that "Milkha Singh is the only Indian to have broken an Olympic track record. Unfortunately, he was the fourth man to do so in the same race."
At the 1962 Asian Games, held in Jakarta, Flying Singh won gold in the 400m and in the 4 x 400m relay. He went to the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo, where he was placed to contend in the 400m, the 4 x 100m race, and the 4 x 400m relay. He didn't partake in either the 400m or the 4 x 100m relay and the Indian group of Milkha Singh, Makhan Singh, Amrit Pal, and Ajmer Singh were rejected as they completed fourth in the relay of the 4 * 400m.
There have been claims that Singh won 77 of his 80 races, however, these are not evident as the number of races in which he participated is not verified nor his wins are verified. He lost a 400m relay in 1964 in Calcutta during the National Games and he could not win any of the four races at the Olympic Games in 1960.
Later Life
Singh was promoted from the position of sepoy to junior commissioned officer in acknowledgment of his triumphs in the 1958 Asian Games. He afterward became Director of Sports in the Punjab Ministry of Education, a post he retired from in 1998.
Singh was awarded the Padma Shri, India's fourth-most noteworthy citizen award, following his accomplishment in 1958. In 2001, he turned down a proposal for the Arjuna Award from the Indian government, contending that it was expected to recognize young talent in the sports and athletics world and not individuals like him. He also thought that the Award was being inappropriately given to people who had little notable involvement as active sports people at all.
All of Singh's awards have been given to the country. They were on displayed at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi and later moved to the games and sports museum center in Patiala, where a couple of running shoes that he wore in Rome are likewise displayed. In 2012, he gave the Adidas shoes that he had worn in 1960 400m final to be sold under a charity auction organised by Rahul Bose.
Milkha Singh died on 18 June 2021 at the age of 91 after a month-long battle with COVID-19, during which he lost his former national volleyball captain wife Nirmal Kaur to the same ailment. The Padma Shri awardee was 91 and is survived by his golfer son Jeev Milkha Singh and three daughters.
Media and the Flying Sikh
Singh and his daughter, Sonia Sanwalka, co-wrote his autobiography, titled ‘The Race of My Life’. The book was published in 2013. The book inspired the Bollywood movie, ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’, an autobiographical film. Singh sold the movie rights for one rupee but asked that a portion of the profits be donated to the Milkha Singh Charitable Trust. The Trust was established in 2003 with the intent of helping poor and destitute sportspeople.
In September 2017, Singh's wax sculpture - made by artists of Madame Tussauds in London - was unveiled in Chandigarh. It portrays Singh in a running stance during his triumphant run at the 1958 Commonwealth Games. The statue is placed at Madame Tussaud's exhibition hall in New Delhi, India. Neeraj Chopra ,after winning the first track and field gold medal at the 2020 Olympics dedicated his victory to Milkha Singh.
Achievements
Awards
S.No. Medal Event Category
1 Gold 1958 Asian Games
2 Gold 1958 Asian Games
3 Gold 1958 Commonwealth Games
4 Gold 1962 Asian Games
5 Gold 1962 Asian Games
6 Gold 1958 Cuttack National Games
7 Gold 1958 Cuttack National Games
8 Silver 1964 Calcutta National Games
Honors
Padma Shri in 1959
Flying Sikh is a name almost every Indian knows. He gave India medals, determination, pride, and an unforgettable story. His story is an inspiration for not only the Sikh athletes but for the entire world that there is no substitute for success except hard work.