Milkha Singh, one of the first Indian athletes to win a gold medal, and dubbed the “Flying Sikh”, has died of COVID aged 91 at a hospital in the north Indian city of Chandigarh late on Friday.
Popularly known as “the Flying Sikh,” Milkha was a four-time Asian Games gold medallist and the 1958 Commonwealth Games champion, but his greatest performance remained the fourth-place finish in the 400m final of the 1960 Rome Olympics.
His timing of 45.6 sec at the Italian capital remained the national record for 38 years before Paramjeet Singh broke it in 1998.
His wife Nirmal Kaur, a former volleyball captain, had died of the virus just days earlier. She was 85.
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,” Modi said in a tweet.
Indian cricket star Sachin Tendulkar said Singh’s legacy would live on.
“Rest in Peace our very own ‘Flying Sikh’ Milkha Singh ji,” he tweeted. “Your demise has left a deep void in every Indian’s heart today, but you shall keep inspiring several generations to come.”
Indian women’s tennis star Sania Mirza said in a tweet ”Had the honour of meeting you and you blessed me so many times .. the kindest and warmest RIP Milkha Singh sir .. the world will miss a legend like you.”
Former Indian sprinter Milkha Singh’s last rites were performed on Saturday with full state honours in Chandigarh.
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