Known as the ‘Flying Sikh’, legendary sprinter Milkha Singh passed away at the age of 91 on June 18, 2021, due to complications from COVID-19. He is the only athlete to win gold in 400 meters race at the Asian Games as well as the Commonwealth Games. He also 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 is best remembered for his 4th place finish in the 400 meters final at the 1960 Olympic Games, and his time of 45.73 seconds remained the national record for more than 40 years.
Milkha Singh also received the Padma Shri award in recognition of his sporting achievements. All of his medals are displayed at the sports museum in Patiala including the pair of running shoes he wore during the 1960 Rome Olympics.
The highly popular sports icon was immortalized in the 2013 biographical Bollywood movie’ Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’, a runaway hit.
Indian cricket fraternity condoles the demise of legendary athlete Milkha Singh
Unfortunately, he was admitted to a private hospital in Mohali on May 24, 2021, with pneumonia and COVID-related complications, though his condition stabilized for a while, he passed away on June 18. His wife, Nirmal Saini had passed away on June 13 due to COVID-19.
As the news of his passing spread, the Indian team members took to Twitter and paid their tribute to the greatest Indian sprinter of all time Milkha Singh.
Here are some of the tweets:
