Arguably India's greatest ever athlete Milka Singh has died on Friday due to covid19 complications. Milka was infamously known as the ‘Flying Singh' because of his speed. He was the recipient of the ‘Padma Shri’ award, India's fourth-highest civilian honor, for his contribution to the development of Indian sport. Milka Singh was the first Indian athlete to achieve international prominence. He became a sporting legend in his nation after winning numerous trophies in the early 60s. Singh was dubbed "the finest athlete India has ever produced" by prominent journalist RohitBrijnath. This article discusses Milk Singh, one of India's finest ever Athletes.
Milka Singh died of coronavirus infection
India's renowned sprinter Milkha Singh has died at the age of 91 because of the novel coronavirus complications. He was diagnosed with Covid-19 in May and was admitted to a local hospital in Chandigarh. He died on Friday (June 18) after a month of treatment due to coronavirus-related problems such as fever and low oxygen saturation levels.
Milka Singh was married to a former Indian volleyball captain Nirmal Kaur, who also died of the covid-19 infection last week at the age of 85.
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Milka Singh's death has been mourned by Indians. Including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, many in the athletic and entertainment industries have sent their sympathies to his family. A film based on Milka Singh's life, 'BhaagMilkhaBhaag' was released in 2013, starring Farhan Akhtar, son of famous scriptwriter Javed Akhter.
Milka Singh's identity and sporting achievements
Milka Singh was born in 1929 in Govindpura, a tiny village in Pakistan's Multan region, but it was British-ruled India at the time. When Milka was a teenager, he lost both of his parents. He arrived in India after the partition in 1947 and worked odd jobs to earn a living. Later, he joined the Indian Army, where he found his athletic prowess.
Milka Singh became India's first Commonwealth gold medal winner in 1958. He also won two gold medals in the 1958 Tokyo Asian games and two gold medals in the 1962 Jakarta Asian games.
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Milka Singh failed to win an Olympic gold medal for India despite competing in 1956, 1960, and 1964 editions of the tournament. Singh finished fourth at the 1960 Olympics in Rome in the 400 meters with a time of 45.73 seconds, which was an Indian national record for 40 years.
The way Indian-born Milka Singh played on the international stage in the 1960s was simply unparalleled. Many people believe he is the finest ever athlete in India.
Verdict
From the above discussion, it is apparent that Milka Singh was the first truly outstanding Indian athlete to achieve international acclaim. No other Indian athlete has reached such a high level of success in the world of athletics since then. Moreover, Athletes from South Asia find it challenging to excel in track and field. With this in mind, Milka Singh may be regarded as India's finest ever athlete.
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