Western Daily Press (Saturday)
‘Flying Sikh’ overcame childhood tragedy to star for India
A FORMER Indian sprinter who overcame a childhood tragedy to become the country’s most celebrated athlete has died at the age of 91.
Milkha Singh’s family said he died of complications from Covid-19.
Singh had first tested positive for coronavirus on May 20. His wife Nirmal Kaur, a former volleyball captain, died of the virus just days earlier, aged 85.
Popularly known as ‘the Flying Sikh’, Singh was the first Indian athlete to win a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in the 400m division in 1958.
He narrowly missed out on an Olympic medal, finishing fourth at the 400m final of the 1960 Rome Games.
Singh represented India at the Olympics in 1956, 1960 and 1964.
Prime minister Narendra Modi led the tributes to the athlete and called him a “colossal sportsperson who captured the nation’s imagination and had a special place in the hearts of countless Indians”.
“His inspiring personality endeared himself to millions,” Mr Modi said in a tweet.
Singh was born in a small village of undivided India, which is now in Pakistan. He saw his parents and siblings being killed by a mob during the partition of British India, which left up to one million people dead.
During the riots, Singh escaped to the jungle and managed to find a train that took him to New Delhi, where he later joined the army.
Singh’s exploits on the track made him a national hero. His story of becoming the country’s first athletics champion has been passed on to generations.
In 2013, his life was turned into a popular Bollywood film, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (Run Milkha Run).
Singh is survived by a son – golfer Jeev Milkha Singh – and three daughters.