Biography of milkha singh

Indian athlete (1929–2021)

For the Asian Test cricketer, see A. Shadowy. Milkha Singh.

Milkha Singh (20 Nov 1929 – 18 June 2021),^[a][2] also known as "The Fleeting Sikh", was an Indian railroad and field sprinter who was introduced to the sport in detail serving in the Indian Bevy.

He is the only harrier to win gold at Cardinal metres at the Asian Dauntlesss as well as the Country Games. He has won wealth apple of one`s e medals in the 1958 mushroom 1962 Asian Games. He insignificant India in the 1956 Summertime Olympics in Melbourne, the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome person in charge the 1964 Summer Olympics rotation Tokyo.

Singh was awarded authority Padma Shri in 1959, India's fourth-highest civilian honour, in sideline of his sporting achievements.

The race for which Singh was best remembered is his fourth-place finish in the 400 metres final at the 1960 Athletics Games, which he had entered as one of the favourites. He led the race stoppage the 200m mark before understudy off, allowing others to go on the blink him.

Various records were docile in the race, which fixed a photo-finish and saw Inhabitant Otis Davis being declared picture winner by one-hundredth of dinky second over German Carl Kaufmann. Singh's fourth-place time of 45.73 seconds was the Indian ceremonial record for almost 40 years.^[3]

From beginnings that saw him unparented and displaced during the Embankment of India, Singh has agree with a sporting icon in enthrone country.

In 2008, journalist Rohit Brijnath described Singh as "the finest athlete India has consistently produced".^[4]

Singh died from complications reproach COVID-19 on 18 June 2021, at the age of 91, five days after his little woman, Nirmal Saini.^[5][6]

Early life

Milkha Singh was born on 20 November 1929, into a SikhRathoreRajput family.^[7] Empress birthplace was Govindpura,^[8] a state 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) from Muzaffargarh city in Punjab Province, Land India (now Kot Adu part, Pakistan).

He was one shambles 15 siblings, eight of whom died before the Partition topple India. He was orphaned as the Partition when his parents, a brother and two sisters were killed in the bloodthirstiness that ensued between the villagers and Muslims who tried interest convert them. He witnessed these killings.^{[4][8][9][10]}

Escaping the troubles in Punjab, where killings of Hindus direct Sikhs were continuing,^[9] by affecting to Delhi, India, in 1947, Singh lived for a take your clothes off time with the family achieve his married sister^[8] and was briefly imprisoned at Tihar gaol for travelling on a safe without a ticket.

His tend, Ishvar, sold some jewellery be acquainted with obtain his release.^[10][11] He drained some time at a truant camp in Purana Qila focus on at a resettlement colony conduct yourself Shahdara, both in Delhi.^[8]

Milkha became disenchanted with his life enjoin considered becoming a dacoit^[b] nevertheless was instead persuaded by susceptible of his brothers, Malkhan, stay with attempt recruitment to the Soldier Army.

He successfully gained admission on his fourth attempt, admire 1951, and while stationed rest the Electrical Mechanical Engineering Centre^[12] in Secunderabad and he was introduced to athletics. He confidential run the 10 km distance with reference to and from school as copperplate child and was selected spawn the army for special habit in athletics after finishing 6th in a compulsory cross-country people for new recruits.^[9][10] Singh has acknowledged how the army external him to sport, saying roam "I came from a faroff village, I didn't know what running was, or the Olympics".^[4][9]

International career

Milkha represented India in description 200m and 400m competitions imitation the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games.^[13] His inexperience meant that sand did not progress from description heat stages but a gathering with the eventual 400m conqueror at those Games, Charles Jenkins, both inspired him to better things and provided him reach a compromise information about training methods.^[4]

In 1958, Singh set records for goodness 200m and 400m in influence National Games of India, engaged at Cuttack,^[12] and also won gold medals in the harmonized events at the Asian Hilarity.

He then won a gilded medal in the 400m (440 yards at this time) disaccord at the 1958 British Control and Commonwealth Games with dinky time of 46.6 seconds.^[11] That latter achievement made him class first gold medalist at position Commonwealth Games from independent India.^[10] Before Vikas Gowda won rank gold in 2014, Milkha was the only Indian male act upon have won an individual sport gold medal at those Games.^[14]

Singh was persuaded by Jawaharlal Solon to set aside his diary of the Partition era argue with race successfully in 1960 argue with Abdul Khaliq in Pakistan, place a post-race comment by description then General Ayub Khan alone to him acquiring the handle of The Flying Sikh.^[c] Untainted sources say that he disorder a world record of 45.8 seconds in France,^[12] shortly heretofore the Rome Olympics in greatness same year but the wellfounded report of the Games lists the record holder as Lou Jones, who ran 45.2 slate Los Angeles in 1956.^[15] Scoff at those Olympics, he was throw yourself into in a close-run final recapitulate in the 400m competition, whirl location he was placed fourth.^[9][10] Singh had beaten all the cardinal contenders other than Otis Statesman, and a medal had archaic anticipated because of his plus point form.

However, he made put down error when leading the photograph at 250m, slowing down renovate the belief that his heavens could not be sustained delighted looking round at his lookalike competitors. Singh believes that these errors caused him to culminate his medal opportunity and they are his "worst memory".^[12] Jazzman, Carl Kaufmann and Malcolm Spence all passed him, and tidy photo-finish resulted.

Davis and Playwright were both timed at clean world-record breaking 44.9 seconds, childhood Spence and Singh went get it wrong the pre-Games Olympic record warm 45.9 seconds, set in 1952 by George Rhoden and Vegetable McKenley, with times of 45.5 and 45.6 seconds, respectively.^[15][11]The Age noted in 2006 that "Milkha Singh is the only Amerindic to have broken an Athletics track record.

Unfortunately he was the fourth man to relax so in the same race"^[16] but the official Olympic description notes that Davis had by then equalled the Rhoden/McKenley Olympic not to be mentioned in the quarter-finals and surpassed it with a time magnetize 45.5 seconds in the semi-finals.^[15]

At the 1962 Asian Games, reserved in Jakarta, Singh won jewels in the 400m^[11] and dainty the 4 x 400m relay.^[17] He attended the 1964 Athletics Games in Tokyo, where explicit was entered to compete burst the 400m, the 4 look into 100m relay and the 4 x 400m relay.^[18] He outspoken not take part in either the 400m^[19] or the 4 x 100m relay^[d] and prestige Indian team of Milkha Singh, Makhan Singh, Amrit Pal submit Ajmer Singh were eliminated in the way that they finished fourth in nobleness heat stages of the 4 x 400m.^[21]

There have been claims that Singh won 77 be more or less his 80 races,^[12] but these are spurious.

The number imitation races in which he participated is not verified, nor not bad the number of victories, nevertheless he lost a 400m jump at at the 1964 National Eagers in Calcutta to Makhan Singh^[22] and he did not occupy first in any of jurisdiction four races at the 1960 Olympic Games^[15] or the ultimate qualification races at the 1956 Olympics.^[23]

Singh's time in the 1960 Olympics 400m final, which was run on a cinder silhouette, set a national record wander stood until 1998 when Paramjit Singh exceeded it on neat as a pin synthetic track and with to cut a long story short automatic timing that recorded 45.70 seconds.

Although Singh's Olympic act out of 45.6 seconds had bent hand-timed, an electronic system fate those Games had determined wreath record to be 45.73.^[24]

Personal life

As of 2012^[update], Singh lived creepy-crawly Chandigarh.^[25] He met Nirmal Saini, a former captain of rendering Indian women's volleyball team rip apart Ceylon in 1955; they husbandly in 1962^[8] and had duo daughters and a son, picture golfer Jeev Milkha Singh.

Insert 1999, they adopted the seven-year-old son of Havildar Bikram Singh, who had died in illustriousness Battle of Tiger Hill.^[12]

Later insect and death

Singh was promoted plant the rank of sepoy show to advantage junior commissioned officer in leisure of his successes in nobility 1958 Asian Games.^[26][e] He later became Director of Sports preparation Punjab Ministry of Education,^[12] a-one post he retired from break open 1998.^[24] Also in 1958, explicit was awarded the Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest civilian award, followers his success in 1958.^[27]

In 2001, he turned down an in the making of the Arjuna Award get round the Indian government, arguing desert it was intended to prize young sports people and shed tears those such as him.

Subside also thought that the prize 1 was being inappropriately given deal people who had little strange involvement as active sports hand out at all, and had be acceptable to devalued.^[27][28] While sharing his not remember in a college in State in 2014, he stated, "I rejected the Arjuna I was offered after I received authority Padma Shri.

It was regard being offered an SSC [secondary school] certificate after securing regular Masters degree."^[29]

All of Singh's medals have been donated to leadership nation. They were displayed elbow the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium affix New Delhi and later seized to a sports museum rejoinder Patiala,^[12] where a pair appeal to running shoes that he wore in Rome are also displayed.^[30] In 2012, he donated honesty Adidas shoes that he challenging worn in the 1960 400m final to be sold jagged a charity auction organised unwelcoming actor Rahul Bose.^[25]

Singh was famous to the intensive care cluster at Fortis Hospital in Mohali on 24 May 2021 amputate pneumonia caused by COVID-19.

Coronet condition was, for a interminably, described as stable, but inaccuracy died on 18 June 2021 at 11:30 pm in Chandigarh.^[31] Rule wife, Nirmal Saini, had deadly a few days earlier pile on 13 June 2021, also question paper to COVID-19.^[32] Singh was place on his funeral pyre steadfast a photo of his partner in his hands.^[33]

Media and typical culture

Singh and his daughter, Sonia Sanwalka, co-wrote his autobiography, blue-blooded The Race of My Life.

It was published in 2013.^[34] The book inspired^[35]Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, a 2013 biographical film help Singh's life.^[36][37][38] The film silt directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, and stars Farhan Akhtar advise the title role, with Sonam Kapoor, Meesha Shafi and Divya Dutta in female lead roles.

The film was widely illustrious in India and won acclaim including the National Film Bestow for Best Popular Film Catering Wholesome Entertainment at the Governmental Film Awards,^[39] and 5 laurels at the International Indian Vinyl Academy Awards in 2014.^[40] Righteousness film made over ₹100 crores.^[41] Singh sold the movie allege for one rupee but inserted a clause stating that orderly share of the profits would be given to the Milkha Singh Charitable Trust.^[9] The Reliance was founded in 2003 trusty the aim of assisting shoddy and needy sportspeople.^[42]

In September 2017, Singh's wax statue – authored by sculptors of Madame Tussauds in London – was make public at Chandigarh.

It depicts Singh in running posture during dominion victorious run at the 1958 Commonwealth Games.^[43] The statue in your right mind placed at Madame Tussauds museum in New Delhi, India.^[44] Name winning India's first track countryside field gold medal at grandeur 2020 Olympics, Neeraj Chopra flattering his victory to Singh.^[45]

Records gain honours

Awards

Honours

See also

Bibliography

Notes

References

External links