The life of Milkha Singh is an inspiration for many. His journey was full of struggle and achievements. The only thing that distinguishes Milkha Singh from others is his determination, discipline and his passion to achieve his goal.

He lost almost his entire family in his childhood. It was running which saved him from the bloodshed and slaughter of the India-Pakistan partition in 1947. He struggled to have one meal in his childhood, he had been jailed due to travelling without a ticket in train. He also thought of becoming a robber when he was in jail.

Milkha Singh was rejected three times by Indian army selection. It was because of his determination he got selected for the fourth time. 

In the army, the training was tough, he always wanted to get out of the special fatigue duty. Also, the diet for new cadets was limited. He always wanted to get some extra chapatis and some milk. Once the recruits got a chance to get exempted from the fatigue duty and have unlimited food and milk. There was a race and the top 10 among the race will get extra meals and milk. This time Milkha’s goal was that glass of milk. He ran the race and secured the sixth position among 500 recruits.

Who knows at that time that this race for an extra glass of milk will change the track of Milkha’s life. This was the beginning of his running career. The selected 10 recruits have to train for an upcoming cross country race, in which Milkha Singh stood second. 

Milkha went to a brigade meet where he noticed some young athletes had the word INDIA inscribed on their vest.  It was the time when Mikha got his next aim. Now he wanted to represent India.

Mikha Singh qualified for national games held in Patiala in 1956. One day during practice a sharp stone pierced his heel and caused swelling. The doctors advised him not to run. But Milkha couldn’t let anything get in the way of his ambition, regardless of the situation. He ignored the medical advice and ran the race. He came fourth and there was no chance of being chosen for the national camp. Showing his effortless style running barefoot in this condition Maharaja of Patiala who was witnessing the race recommended that Milkha should be selected for the national camp.     

Milkha Singh practised hard in the camp and won the hearts of coaches with his zeal and dedication. The night before the selection race, a bunch of people pinned him down and threw a blanket over him, they continued to hit his legs with sticks until his companions heard his screams. 

This incident made him more determined for the next day’s race. Looking at his wounds the doctor advised him not to run. But Milkha was adamant. He went to the starting line focussed all his energy on running fast. He took off like the wind when he heard the gunshot and easily won the race. He had overcome all odds. Milkha was selected to represent     India at the Olympics in Australia.

In the Olympics, Milkha failed to qualify in the group. He got a chance to get advice from America’s top runner who wrote down his complete training schedule for Mikha. Now he realised what competition actually meant and if he wanted to compete in the International arena he must be prepared to test his mettle against the best athletes in the world.  In his determination to avoid failure, he set himself a goal to work towards, to transform himself into a running machine.

Two years 1956 & 1957 he practised very hard, his life was governed by strict rules and regulations and self-imposed penance. At times he vomits blood or drops down unconscious through sheer exertion. But his determination was too strong to give up.

In 1958, Milkha was a running machine who made new national records, breaking his previous records. He also set a new Asian record in the 400m. 

Flying Sikh

The then President of Pakistan, General Ayub Khan, named Milkha Singh the “Flying Sikh” when he defeated Pakistan’s Abdul Khaliq, who was regarded as the fastest man in Asia.

Achievements

Padma Shri in 1959, the fourth highest civilian award in India. 

Honorary Captain in Indian Army.

He is the only athlete to win a gold medal in 400 m in Asian games as well in commonwealth games.

World Records

Won gold in 440 yards athletics in 1958 commonwealth games held in Cardiff, Whales.

Won gold in 200 m athletics in 1958 Tokyo Asian Games.

Won gold in 400 m athletics in 1958 Tokyo Asian Games.

Won gold in 400 m athletics in the 1962 Jakarta Asian Games.

Won gold in 4 X 400 m relay in 1962 Jakarta Asian Games

National Records

Won gold in 200 m relay in 1958 Cuttack

Won gold in 400 m relay in 1958 Cuttack

Won silver in 400 m relay in 1964 Calcutta

One Regret

“The miss at Rome still hurts me. I lost the medal by 0.01 seconds. I was so close.”

This was an incident from the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome. Milkha Singh became the first male athlete of India to reach the final in an Olympic event. Although he did not win the final and lost the race by 0.01 seconds, he became famous and set a national record that could be broken only after 40 years. 

Last Wish
 

Milkha Singh’s last wish was to see an athlete from India winning an Olympic medal in a track and field event. 

Milkha Singh is arguably one of India’s most iconic male athletes. All through his professional career, his mantra for success has been regular practice, hard work, self-discipline, dedication and the determination to perform to the best of his abilities. Although he stopped participating in competitive events in the early 1960s, he has dedicated his life to sports.