Part 9

Becoming the ‘Flying Sikh’ & A loss that still haunts

Remembering 'Flying Sikh' Milkha Singh 

From the archives of Milkha's little-known autobiography: Flying Sikh, Milkha Singh, which was published first in Punjabi in 1970 and later translated into Hindi in 1977 and in English in early 80s, we are bringing you the life of legendary athlete from witnessing tragedy, deprivation, survival against all odds and victory in the face of loss. The pre-partition and post-partition era.

Flashback - Part 9

Becoming the ‘Flying Sikh’

In March 1960, Pakistan invited the Indian athletics team for a dual championship in Lahore. But, the horrific memories of the Partition was discouraging Milkha from traveling across the border.
However, on the insistence of then Prime Minister of India Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, and for the pride of his country, Milkha agreed to compete in Pakistan. In the 200m race, the Indian sprinter defeated Pakistan’s champion athlete Abdul Khalik and earned the sobriquet of ‘Flying Sikh’, courtesy Ayub Khan, President of Pakistan.

Rome Olympics: A loss that still haunts

It was a calculation mistake that saw the Olympic medal slipping out of Milkha’s hands in the 1960 Rome Olympics. In his book, Milkha explains the unfortunate moment. “I was the fastest runner until 250m, and then God knows what happened and I slowed down my pace a bit. When we reached the 300m mark, there were three athletes ahead of me. Later, the only thing left for me to do was finish third in a tie. It was a photo finish (where the winner is declared after watching a re-run because the competition is so close). When the final announcement was made, I had lost everything.”

“The defeat still haunts me, even after five decades,” writes Milkha in the autobiography.