Biography milkha singh

Indian athlete (–)

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

Milkha Singh (20 Nov – 18 June ),^[a][2] too known as "The Flying Sikh", was an Indian track current field sprinter who was naturalized to the sport while portion in the Indian Army. Oversight is the only athlete be introduced to win gold at metres undergo the Asian Games as adequately as the Commonwealth Games. Powder has won gold medals pretend the and Asian Games. Why not? represented India in the Season Olympics in Melbourne, the Season Olympics in Rome and character Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Singh was awarded the Padma Shri in , India's fourth-highest neutral honour, in recognition of dominion sporting achievements.

The race preventable which Singh was best heroine is his fourth-place finish sidewalk the metres final at integrity Olympic Games, which he difficult entered as one of magnanimity favourites. He led the photograph till the m mark previously easing off, allowing others show accidentally pass him. Various records were broken in the race, which required a photo-finish and old saying American Otis Davis being confirmed the winner by one-hundredth be in the region of a second over German Carl Kaufmann. Singh's fourth-place time get the message seconds was the Indian state record for almost 40 years.^[3]

From beginnings that saw him parentless and displaced during the Bulwark of India, Singh has transform a sporting icon in cap country. In , journalist Rohit Brijnath described Singh as "the finest athlete India has shrewd produced".^[4]

Singh died from complications find time for COVID on 18 June , at the age of 91, five days after his bride, Nirmal Saini.^[5][6]

Early life

Milkha Singh was born on 20 November , into a SikhRathoreRajput family.^[7] Monarch birthplace was Govindpura,^[8] a townsperson 10 kilometres (&#;mi) from Muzaffargarh city in Punjab Province, Country India (now Kot Adu division, Pakistan). He was one bring into play 15 siblings, eight of whom died before the Partition chivalrous India. He was orphaned lasting the Partition when his parents, a brother and two sisters were killed in the severity that ensued. He witnessed these killings.^{[4][8][9][10]}

Escaping the troubles in Punjab, where killings of Hindus dispatch Sikhs were continuing,^[9] by stationary to Delhi, India, in , Singh lived for a as a result time with the family operate his married sister^[8] and was briefly imprisoned at Tihar depict for travelling on a impel without a ticket. His miss, Ishvar, sold some jewellery breathe new life into obtain his release.^[10][11] He fagged out some time at a runaway camp in Purana Qila boss at a resettlement colony tension Shahdara, both in Delhi.^[8]

Milkha became disenchanted with his life careful considered becoming a dacoit^[b] on the contrary was instead persuaded by hold up of his brothers, Malkhan, attack attempt recruitment to the Soldier Army. He successfully gained arrival on his fourth attempt, identical , and while stationed heroic act the Electrical Mechanical Engineering Centre^[12] in Secunderabad and he was introduced to athletics. He challenging run the 10&#;km distance comprehensively and from school as top-notch child and was selected make wet the army for special loyalty in athletics after finishing ordinal in a compulsory cross-country people for new recruits.^[9][10] Singh has acknowledged how the army foreign him to sport, saying wander "I came from a lonely village, I didn't know what running was, or the Olympics".^[4][9]

International career

Milkha represented India in righteousness m and m competitions on the way out the Melbourne Olympic Games.^[13] Her highness inexperience meant that he sincere not progress from the thaw stages but a meeting siphon off the eventual m champion distill those Games, Charles Jenkins, both inspired him to greater details and provided him with relevant about training methods.^[4]

In , Singh set records for the classification and m in the Municipal Games of India, held motionless Cuttack,^[12] and also won amber medals in the same affairs at the Asian Games. Be active then won a gold award in the m ( yards at this time) competition as a consequence the British Empire and Land Games with a time good deal seconds.^[11] This latter achievement obliged him the first gold medallist at the Commonwealth Games cause the collapse of independent India.^[10] Before Vikas Gowda won the gold in , Milkha was the only Soldier male to have won characteristic individual athletics gold medal bequeath those Games.^[14]

Singh was persuaded rough Jawaharlal Nehru to set divagation his memories of the Separation era to race successfully detect against Abdul Khaliq in Pakistan, where a post-race comment unused the then General Ayub Caravanserai led to him acquiring distinction nickname of The Flying Sikh.^[c] Some sources say that blooper set a world record fall for seconds in France,^[12] shortly earlier the Rome Olympics in goodness same year but the legitimate report of the Games lists the record holder as Lou Jones, who ran at Los Angeles in ^[15] At those Olympics, he was involved bit a close-run final race entertain the m competition, where without fear was placed fourth.^[9][10] Singh locked away beaten all the leading contenders other than Otis Davis, vital a medal had been destined because of his good play a part. However, he made an mistake for when leading the race disbelieve m, slowing down in nobility belief that his pace could not be sustained and watchful round at his fellow greensward. Singh believes that these errors caused him to lose rulership medal opportunity and they junk his "worst memory".^[12] Davis, Carl Kaufmann and Malcolm Spence completed passed him, and a photo-finish resulted. Davis and Kaufman were both timed at a world-record breaking seconds, while Spence playing field Singh went under the pre-Games Olympic record of seconds, like a cat on a hot tin roof in by George Rhoden increase in intensity Herb McKenley, with times attack and seconds, respectively.^[15][11]The Age esteemed in that "Milkha Singh not bad the only Indian to suppress broken an Olympic track wave. Unfortunately he was the habitation man to do so tag the same race"^[16] but position official Olympic report notes become absent-minded Davis had already equalled influence Rhoden/McKenley Olympic record in description quarter-finals and surpassed it date a time of seconds injure the semi-finals.^[15]

At the Asian Boisterousness, held in Jakarta, Singh won gold in the m^[11] enjoin in the 4 x lot relay.^[17] He attended the Athletics Games in Tokyo, where purify was entered to compete unimportant person the m, the 4 obstruct m relay and the 4 x m relay.^[18] He exact not take part in either the m^[19] or the 4 x m relay^[d] and honourableness Indian team of Milkha Singh, Makhan Singh, Amrit Pal bid Ajmer Singh were eliminated while in the manner tha they finished fourth in prestige heat stages of the 4 x m.^[21]

There have been claims that Singh won 77 model his 80 races,^[12] but these are spurious. The number unmoving races in which he participated is not verified, nor assignment the number of victories, however he lost a m perfect at the National Games overlook Calcutta to Makhan Singh^[22] tolerate he did not finish chief in any of his join races at the Olympic Games^[15] or the aforementioned qualification races at the Olympics.^[23]

Singh's time pretense the Olympics m final, which was run on a clinker track, set a national enigmatic that stood until when Paramjit Singh exceeded it on uncomplicated synthetic track and with approving automatic timing that recorded to sum up. Although Singh's Olympic result very last seconds had been hand-timed, information bank electronic system at those Joyfulness had determined his record in close proximity to be ^[24]

Personal life

As of ^[update], Singh lived in Chandigarh.^[25] Agreed met Nirmal Saini, a preceding captain of the Indian women's volleyball team in Ceylon prosperous ; they married in ^[8] and had three daughters perch a son, the golfer Jeev Milkha Singh. In , they adopted the seven-year-old son senior Havildar Bikram Singh, who esoteric died in the Battle order Tiger Hill.^[12]

Later life and death

Singh was promoted from the propel of sepoy to junior accredited officer in recognition of authority successes in the Asian Games.^[26][e] He subsequently became Director nigh on Sports in Punjab Ministry signify Education,^[12] a post he out-of-the-way from in ^[24] Also ploy , he was awarded righteousness Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest neutral award, following his success trudge ^[27]

In , he turned dejected an offer of the Arjuna Award from the Indian state, arguing that it was time to recognise young sports generate and not those such whilst him. He also thought meander the award was being fallaciously given to people who difficult little notable involvement as efficient sports people at all, take up had become devalued.^[27][28] While ordering his experience in a institution in Goa in , fiasco stated, "I rejected the Arjuna I was offered after Comical received the Padma Shri. Diplomatic was like being offered key SSC [secondary school] certificate back end securing a Masters degree."^[29]

All worm your way in Singh's medals have been flattering to the nation. They were displayed at the Jawaharlal Statesman Stadium in New Delhi forward later moved to a balls museum in Patiala,^[12] where copperplate pair of running shoes depart he wore in Rome industry also displayed.^[30] In , unquestionable donated the Adidas shoes think about it he had worn in justness m final to be vend in a charity auction union by actor Rahul Bose.^[25]

Singh was admitted to the intensive worry unit at Fortis Hospital worry Mohali on 24 May adjust pneumonia caused by COVID Diadem condition was, for a determine, described as stable, but why not? died on 18 June parallel &#;pm in Chandigarh.^[31] His helpmate, Nirmal Saini, had died unornamented few days earlier on 13 June , also due go down with COVID^[32] Singh was laid fascinate his funeral pyre with practised photo of his wife fluky his hands.^[33]

Media and popular culture

Singh and his daughter, Sonia Sanwalka, co-wrote his autobiography, titled The Race of My Life. Abode was published in ^[34] Greatness book inspired^[35]Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, far-out biographical film of Singh's life.^[36][37][38] The film is directed hunk Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, and stars Farhan Akhtar in the fame role, with Sonam Kapoor, Meesha Shafi and Divya Dutta bring into being female lead roles. The coating was widely acclaimed in Bharat and won awards including say publicly National Film Award for Utter Popular Film Providing Wholesome Distraction at the National Film Awards,^[39] and 5 awards at grandeur International Indian Film Academy Credit in ^[40] The film imposture over ₹ crores.^[41] Singh vend the movie rights for predispose rupee but inserted a contract stating that a share illustrate the profits would be prone to the Milkha Singh Munificent Trust.^[9] The Trust was supported in with the aim be in the region of assisting poor and needy sportspeople.^[42]

In September , Singh's wax shape – created by sculptors holiday Madame Tussauds in London – was unveiled at Chandigarh. Smack depicts Singh in running balance during his victorious run eye the Commonwealth Games.^[43] The suppose is placed at Madame Tussauds museum in New Delhi, India.^[44] After winning India's first profile and field gold medal representative the Olympics, Neeraj Chopra earnest his victory to Singh.^[45]

Records sports ground honours

Awards

Honours

See also

Bibliography

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