The 'Flying Sikh' has taken off forever

Milkha Singh was one of the of the India's biggest sporting icons of the century. Having lost his parents during Partition, he struggled for survival. He was a legendary Indian sprinter for whom his track was his God. He evinced a great interest in athletics. He was a four time Asian games gold medalist. He clinched the gold in the 1958 British Common Wealth games in the 440 yards race. His timing in Rome Olympics remained a national record for 38 years, though he came fourth in the event. He clocked 45.6 seconds. He just missed the bronze by a single second. It was a moment of pride for the nation. He was conferred Padma Shri in 1959. He had won 77 times in his 80 event career. It is great indeed. He was rightly being called the 'Flying Sikh'.

Unfortunately he lost his wife a few days ago due to covid related complications. He too followed suit is hard to gulp. His death is an irreparable loss to the sporting community. It is end of an era. He will be the best remembered athlete for generations. India is yet to a person of his caliber in the recent times.

— Sravana Ramachandran, Chennai

It is disheartening to know that the 'Flying Sikh', Milkha Singh is no more. Representing a country in an international event itself is a great achievement. In such a scenario, representing India in the Olympics in 1956, 1960, and 1964; and winning gold medals in Commonwealth Games held in 1958, and the Asian Games in 1958 and 1962 are stupendous achievements. His life story inspired millions of people in India as well as the rest of the world. He remains to live in the hearts of Indians forever. His dedication, hard work, commitment, and perseverance are very inspiring. If we can imbibe some of these qualities, that would be a grand tribute that we can pay to our legendary sprinter.

— Dr Mejari Mallikarjuna, Nadigadda, Chittoor Dt

The demise of great athlete of India, Milkha Singh has left a void in the sportsworld. He has been an inspiring figure for previous, present generations and generation to come in India with his qualities of grit, integrity and patriotic zeal.

His life as a whole and sports career in particular have great moments that can be taught as lessons for the younger minds. He has given utmost importance to discipline and physical fitness till his last breath. The flying Sikh has finished the sprint of life with flying colours.The nation mourns his death.

— Dr D V G Sankararao, Nellimarla

It is very sad to know that the deadly virus engulfed the Indian legendary athlete Milkha Singh who was popularly known as Flying Sikh. He was 91.It is very unfortunate that his former volley ball captain wife Nirmal Kaur also succumbed to the same ailment last Sunday. He is survived by his golfer son Jeeva and three daughters. To his credit he won four gold medals in Asian Athletics and and a gold medal in 1958 Asian Games .He lost gold in 1960 Olympics in 400 mts running event narrowly. The government honoured him with Padmasri in 1959.He strongly believed in the words "one must always be humble irrespective the position one enjoys". The film "Bhag Milkha Bhag " the biopic of Milkha Singh gives inspiration to the budding athletes. To become a sprinter he practised vigorously in sand dunes and competed with running trains. He was an athlete who was different from others as he handed over all his medals to Jawahar Lal Nehru University instead of displaying in his living room. He is really a guiding light to the up coming athletes in particular and sports persons in general.

— Pratapa Reddy Yaramala, Tiruvuru

The passing away of iconic Milkha Singh a title which he won from none other than the then Pakistan President Gen Ayub Khan is indeed a great loss to Indian sports. He was a runner who walked every day 10 km not for learning running as sports but out of necessity to and from his school. At that time he did not know that running is a sports event. His childhood was so pathetic that he saw his own parents being butchered in front of his eyes during Partition and no wonder he refused to represent India in the Indo-Pak Sports meet in Lahore.It was India's first PM who called him and made request to represent and win laurels for the country which he when he won gold medal by defeating another iconic Pakistani runner Abdul Khaliq who was then Asia's fastest runner having won Gold medal in 1958 Asian Games in Tokyo. Imagine if he had not participated, probably world would not have known him as the "Flying Sikh".

When he was practicing running, he had only will power and aspiration with no facilities running barefoot, no track, or dresses etc. Strangely, here is a runner who spent a few days in Tihar jail for having traveled to Delhi without a train ticket. May he live forever in the hearts of sports enthusiasts.

— N Nagarajan, Hyderabad

What Sir Don Bradman is to cricket applies to Milkha Singh in the field of Indian sports. Honorary Captain Milkha Singh, also known as The Flying Sikh, was an Indian track and field sprinter who was introduced to the sport while serving in the Indian Army. The only athlete to win gold in the 400m race in the Asian as well the Commonwealth Games in 1958, Milkha Singh had been part of Chandigarh's folklore since he settled in the City Beautiful in the early 1960s. His dedication towards a fit and healthy lifestyle post his retirement was phenomenal. In many ways, his death is the end of an era.

Milkha was always very competitive, be it on the athletics field, golf greens or at the table playing cards. He frequently travelled to Jammu and Kashmir, and Delhi for golf tournaments and had even played against former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah. As a stand out sporting personality, he showed his character on and off the field. And his exemplary behavior was an object lesson for the young and upcoming sportsman. His and his sweetheart wife's loss is a double blow for the sporting fraternity within a space of one week.

A foreign journalist asked "Are you relaxing?" "No, I am Milkha Singh" quipped the flying Sikh. Alas now he has gone for his eternal relaxation. His was a great life that inspired thousands of aspiring athletes and he, a proud son of Bharat Mata. RIP Milkha Singh !

— C K Subramanian, Navi Mumbai

The passing away of decorated sprinter Milkha Singh has saddened millions of sports lovers. The nonagenarian, popularly known as 'Flying Sikh', breathed his last in the Intensive Care Unit of the Chandigarh's Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), after a long battle with Covid-19. A three-time Olympian,1958 Commonwealth Games champion and a four-time Asian Games gold medallist, Milkha Singh's finest hour was the fourth-place finish in the 400m final at the 1960 Rome Olympics, where he led the pack for nearly half the race but missed a podium finish by the proverbial cat's whisker. He held the National Record in the event for 38 years. His incredible legacy will continue to inspire generations to come.

— N J Ravi Chander, Bengaluru

The legend of Milkha Singh has survived more than five decades and continues to be one of the most inspiring stories in Indian sports. For the record, the legendary athlete Milkha Singh started his Olympic journey at the 1956 Olympics in Australia but it was his second appearance at the Games in Rome where the world took note of him and applauded the Indian sprinter.

In his third and final Olympic in Tokyo, Milkha Singh only participated in the 4x400m relay race in which he and his teammates were eliminated during the heat stages. The sports fraternity took notice of Milkha Singh after the 1958 Asian Games in Tokyo, Japan where he bagged two gold medals in 200m and 400m races.

In the very next Asian Games in Jakarta in 1962, Milkha Singh won the 400m race and also bagged gold medal in 4x400m relay race with Daljit Singh, Jagdish Singh and Makhan Singh. Milkha Singh won India's first individual gold medal at the Commonwealth Games back in 1958 in Wales, a record that stayed with him for over five decades.

— Kolluru Raju, Godarigunta, Kakinada Dt