In Pics: Legendary athlete Milkha Singh’s inspirational journey

India track and field legend Milkha Singh breathed his last on Friday night. The 91-year-old passed away due to COVID-19 complications and was undergoing treatment at the PGIMER, Chandigarh.

The legend of Milkha Singh is one of the most inspiring stories in Indian sports.

For the record, the legendary athlete who was orphaned during the Partition riot, was introduced to the sport while serving the Indian Army. Milkha was the first Indian athlete to win an individual athletics gold medal at the Commonwealth Games, a record which remained intact till 2010 until Krishna Poonia won the discus gold medal. He represented India in three Olympics from 1956-1964. He was awarded the Padma Shri, India’s fourth-highest civilian honour, in recognition of his sporting achievements.

Milkha, who is also known as the Flying Sikh, bagged gold medals in the 1958 and 1962 Asian Games. 

Milkha is best remembered for his fourth-place finish in the 400 metres final at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome, which he had entered as one of the favourites. He led the race for some time before easing off, allowing others to pass him. Singh’s fourth-place time of 45.73 became the Indian national record and held for almost 40 years.

Milkha even has his eventful life recorded in a biopic, ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’, which saw Bollywood actor Farhan Akhtar play the role of the legendary athlete.