Milkha Singh, was Born in 1929 in undivided India and passed away on June 18, 2021. He has been the most famous athlete of India. Let us know the story of Milkha Singh.
The man who narrowly escaped the partition riots, whose family members were murdered in front of his eyes, who was caught traveling ticketless in a train and sentenced to jail, and who ran the army for a glass of milk. participated in and who later became India’s greatest athlete.
Despite breaking the world record at the 1960 Rome Olympics, Milkha Singh could not win a medal for India and had to settle for fourth place.
This race will make or destroy you’
Milkha Singh first made his mark on the world stage when he won the gold medal at the Cardiff Commonwealth Games by defeating the then world record holder Malcolm Spence in a run of 440 yards.
Milkha Singh could not sleep that whole night. The next day the final of the 440 yard race was at four o’clock. In the morning, Milkha took a hot bath in the tub to relax his nerves, had breakfast and went to sleep again wearing a blanket. In the afternoon he woke up.
He took a bowl of soup and two slices of double roti in his meal. He deliberately did not eat much so that it might not affect his performance. Milkha recalls that day, “At one o’clock I combed and covered my long bun with a white handkerchief.”
“I kept my spiked shoes, a small towel, a comb and a pack of glucose in my Air India bag. Then I put on a track suit, closed my eyes and remembered Guru Nanak, Guru Gobind Singh and Lord Shiva.
Milkha Singh remembers every moment of that day. “My teammates were waiting for me in the bus. When I sat on my seat, he joked with me that Milkha Singh seems off color today. One asked what is the matter? Why are you not feeling happy today? I didn’t answer them but my mind eased a bit.
Milkha told that seeing him nervous, his coach Dr Howard sat down next to him and said, “Today’s race will either make you something or destroy you. If you follow my tips, you will beat Malcolm Spence. You have the ability to do that.”
How did the Olympic medal slip from Milkha’s hand?
Milkha Singh of India was in the sixth lane. Milkha says that this gave him some courage. After reaching the stadium, he went straight to the dressing room and then lay down. It felt like a slight fever had gone up. Then Dr. Howard came again. He massaged her back and feet. Then he said, “My child, start getting ready. Your race is about to start in an hour.”
Howard had been taking stock of the techniques of each of Milkha’s opponents for the past several days.
During the first heat, he came to his room after dinner and sat on his bed and said in his broken Hindi, “Milkha we saw Spence running 400 meters. He would run slow for the first 300 meters and catch everyone in the last hundred yards. You don’t have to run 400 metres, you have to run 350 metres. Understand that it is such a long race.
Milkha says, “The first call of the final of the 440 yard race came at 3:50 pm. The six of us stood at the starting line. I wiped the sweat off my feet with my towel. I was just tying my spikes when the second call came. I took off my tracksuit. Bharat was written on the Mary West and the Ashoka Chakra was made below it. I took a few deep breaths and wished my fellow contestants.
Salisbury of England was in the first lane. It was followed by South Africa’s Spence and Kerr of Australia, Jamaica’s Gaspar, Canada’s Tobacco and India’s Milkha Singh in the sixth lane.
Only half a foot difference
As soon as the starter said – on your mark, Milkha put his left foot behind the starting line, brought his right knee parallel to the left leg and touched the ground with both hands.
As soon as he fired the bullet, Milkha ran as if a swarm of wasps was behind him. He remembered the advice given by Howard. He gave his all in the first 300 metres.
Milkha was running ahead and when Spence saw that Milkha was running at lightning speed, he tried to overtake him, but luck was with Milkha Singh.
Milkha recalls, “I saw the white tape when 50 yards were left for the race to end. I tried my best to get there before Spence. When I touched the tape, Spence was only half a foot behind me. The British were shouting in full force – come on sing, come on sing. As soon as I touched the tape, I fainted and fell on the ground.
Milkha Singh was taken on a stretcher to the doctor, where he was given oxygen. When he came to his senses, then he started to realize what a great feat he had accomplished.
His companions lifted him on the shoulder. He wrapped the tricolor on his body and went round the entire stadium. This was the first time that an Indian won a gold medal in the Commonwealth Games.
Story of becoming a Flying Sikh
In 1960, Milkha Singh received an invitation from Pakistan to participate in the India-Pakistan athletics competition. At the Tokyo Asian Games, he defeated the best runner Abdul Khaliq there in the 200 meters race in photo finish.
Pakistanis wanted that now the competition of both should be on the land of Pakistan. Milkha refused to go to Pakistan because he had many bitter memories of the time of Partition when his father was murdered before his eyes.
But at the behest of Nehru, Milkha went to Pakistan. Milkha started running as soon as the starter fired the pistol at the Lahore stadium. The spectators started shouting – Pakistan Zindabad..Abdul Khaliq Zindabad..Khaliq was ahead of Milkha but Milkha caught him before completing 100m.
After that Khalik slowed down. When Milkha touched the tape, he was about ten yards ahead of Khalik and his time was 20.7 seconds. This was equal to the then world record. When the race was over, Khaliq started crying while lying on the ground.
Milkha went to him. He patted his back and said, “Victory and defeat is part of the game. It should not be taken to heart.
After the race, Milkha hit a victory lap. While giving the medal to Milkha, the President of Pakistan, Field-Marshal Ayub Khan said, “Milkha, today you have not run, you have flown. I give you the title of Flying Sikh.
Disclaimer: Most of the references are taken from available sources on internet.
