Lesser-Known Facts About the 'Flying Sikh'- Milkha Singh

NEW DELHI: India today lost one of its most beloved sons on June 18 night, legendary sprinter Milkha Singh who was fighting Covid-19 for a few weeks.

Also known as the Flying Sikh, a true sporting icon in the country with his life, especially the childhood tales, has continuously inspired those on the field and beyond and even in the world of cinema.

Milkha Singh, byname the Flying Sikh was born on October 17, 1935, Lyallpur now Faisalabad, Pakistan, is an Indian track-and-field athlete who became the first Indian male to reach the final of an Olympic athletics event when he placed fourth in the 400-meter race at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome.

Singh moved to India from Pakistan in 1947. He eked out a living by working in a roadside restaurant before joining the Indian army.

As the entire country mourns his demise, let's take a look at some lesser-known facts about the legendary Indian sprinter:

1. Milkha Singh went on to become one of the finest sportspersons that India had ever produced but he was inclined to become a dacoit. The troubles he went through in his childhood and the traumatic experiences initially saw Milkha taking the route of crime but fate had other ideas for him.

2. Milkha Singh first tried to get a job in the Indian army in 1949 but couldn't succeed. His second attempt in 1950 also ended in disappointment. He later started working in a rubber factory before finally landing a job in the army in 1952, reportedly earning Rs 39 and 8 anna.

3. Milkha made his maiden Olympic appearance in the 1956 Melbourne Games but was eliminated in the initial rounds. It was in 1958 that he started to gain global recognition, having won a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games that year. In the 1960 Rome Olympics, he finished 4th and smashed his own 400m national record by clocking a time of 45.73.

4. He was even sent to the Tihar Jail once for traveling on a train without a ticket. His sister had to sell her jewelry to aggregate enough money for Milkha's bail.

5. All of Milkha Singh's medals, trophies, and sporting accolades were donated by the sprinter. They are now placed in the Sports Museum in Patiala.

6. Milkha Singh had three daughters and a son of his own but in 1999 he also adopted the 7-year-old son of Bikram Singh who attained martyrdom in the Kargil War.

7. When Milkha Singh was honored with the "Arjuna Award" in 2001, he said it came '40 years too late.

8. Singh was also awarded the Padma Shri in 1959. 

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