Milkha Singh
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| Milkha Singh | |
|---|---|
| Born | 8 October 1935 Layallpur, British India |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Other names | Flying Sikh |
| Occupation | Athlete |
| Known for | Padma Shri |
| Religion | Sikh |
| Olympic medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's Athletics | ||
Competitor for  IND |
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| British Empire and Commonwealth Games | ||
| Gold | 1958 Cardiff | 440 yards |
Milkha Singh (Hindi: मिलखा सिंह) (born 8 October 1935) is an Indian athlete, who represented India in the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome and the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. He is nicknamed The Flying Sikh.
He is considered as one of the greatest athletes ever produced by India[by whom?] and is also the father of the professional golfer Jeev Milkha Singh.
Contents |
[edit] International career
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Milkha Singh represented India in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, where his inexperience showed. Thereafter, he won gold medals in both the 200m and 400m events at the 1958 Asian Games, clocking 21.6 seconds and 47 seconds respectively. He progressed to win a gold medal in the 400m competition at the 1958 Cardiff Commonwealth Games, with a time of 46.16 seconds. This latter achievement made him the first gold medallist at the Commonwealth Games from independent India.
Subsequently, he competed in Pakistan and his successes there earned him the nickname of The Flying Sikh.
At the 1960 Olympics in Rome, he finished second in all of his 400m races prior to the final,improving his time on each occasion. In the final event he set off strongly to the fore but was overhauled by the field and finished in fourth place, this being a decision that required a photo-finish. His time was 45.6 seconds and his finishing position was not bettered by an Indian track athlete until the 1984 Olympics, when P.T. Usha missed out on the 400 m hurdles bronze medal by 1/100th of a second.
[edit] Life after retirement
Post retirement, Milkha Singh holds the appointment of Director of Sports in Punjab[citation needed]. Singh's life story will also be the basis of a forthcoming film named Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (translation: Run Milkha Run) being directed by Rakeysh Mehra and starring Farhan Akhtar and Sonam Kapoor in lead roles. [1]
[edit] Awards and achievements
- Gold medal - 1958 Asian Games in the 200 m and 400 m.
- Gold medal - 1962 Asian Games.
- 1959, awarded the Padma Shri
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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- Indian athletes
- 1935 births
- Living people
- Olympic athletes of India
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1960 Summer Olympics
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1964 Summer Olympics
- Sprinters
- Indian Sikhs
- Recipients of the Padma Shri
- Asian Games gold medallists for India
- Punjabi people
- Commonwealth Games gold medallists for India
- Asian Games medalists in athletics (track and field)
- People from Faisalabad
