Milkha Singh Quick Facts
| Full Name | Milkha Singh |
| Nickname | The Flying Sikh |
| Profession | Sprinter (400 m), Indian Army soldier, sports administrator |
| Date of Birth | 20 November 1929 (other records give 1932 or 1935) |
| Birthplace | Govindpura, near Muzaffargarh, Punjab, British India (now in Pakistan) |
| Died | 18 June 2021 |
| Place of Death | Chandigarh, India |
| Event | 400 m and 200 m |
| Signature Mark | 45.73 s in the 1960 Olympic 400 m final, an Indian record until 1998 |
| Army Service | 1951 to 1964; Honorary Captain |
| Spouse | Nirmal Saini (married 1962; died 2021) |
| Children | Three daughters and a son, golfer Jeev Milkha Singh |
| Nationality | Indian |
Why Milkha Singh Matters
Milkha Singh was independent India’s first individual sporting superstar. He won India’s first Commonwealth Games gold as an independent nation and, until 2014, was the only Indian man to have won an individual athletics gold at those Games. His story of surviving Partition, living as a refugee and rising through the army made him a symbol of what a new country could achieve. The 1960 Rome final, where he led for much of the race before finishing fourth, became the most retold race in Indian sport. When Neeraj Chopra won India’s first Olympic athletics gold in 2021, he dedicated it to Milkha Singh, who had died just weeks earlier.
Milkha Singh Major Medals and Results
| Year | Competition | Result | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | Olympic Games, Melbourne | Heats | 200 m, 400 m |
| 1958 | National Games, Cuttack | 2 gold (national records) | 200 m, 400 m |
| 1958 | Asian Games, Tokyo | 2 gold | 200 m, 400 m |
| 1958 | Commonwealth Games, Cardiff | Gold | 440 yards, 46.6 s |
| 1960 | AAA Championships, London | Champion | 440 yards |
| 1960 | Olympic Games, Rome | 4th | 400 m, 45.73 s |
| 1962 | Asian Games, Jakarta | 2 gold | 400 m, 4×400 m relay |
| 1964 | National Games, Calcutta | Silver | 400 m |
| 1964 | Olympic Games, Tokyo | Heats | 4×400 m relay |
Early Life and Partition
Milkha Singh was born into a Sikh family in Govindpura, a village about 10 km from Muzaffargarh in Punjab, in what is now Pakistan. He was one of 15 children, several of whom died young. As a boy he ran about 10 km to school and back each day. During the Partition of 1947 his parents, a brother and two sisters were killed in the violence, and he witnessed the killings.
He escaped to Delhi, staying briefly with his married sister Ishvar. At one point he was jailed in Tihar for travelling on a train without a ticket, and his sister sold her jewellery to secure his release. He lived for a time in the refugee camp at Purana Qila and a resettlement colony in Shahdara, and has said that he drifted close to a life of crime before his brother Malkhan persuaded him to try for the army.
Breakthrough: Discovered in the Army
Milkha was accepted into the Indian Army on his fourth attempt, in 1951, and posted to the Electrical Mechanical Engineering Centre in Secunderabad. He finished sixth in a compulsory cross-country run for recruits and was picked for special athletics training. Within a few years he was India’s best quarter-miler, earning a place at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. He went out in the heats there, but a conversation with the eventual 400 m champion, Charles Jenkins of the United States, gave him new ideas about training and convinced him he could compete with the world’s best.
Milkha Singh Career Journey
1958: The Golden Year
In 1958 he set national records in the 200 m and 400 m at the National Games in Cuttack, then won both events at the Asian Games in Tokyo. Later that year he took gold in the 440 yards at the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Cardiff in 46.6 seconds, the first Commonwealth gold won by independent India. The army promoted him from sepoy to junior commissioned officer in recognition.
1960: Lahore, the Flying Sikh and Rome
In 1960 Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru persuaded him to set aside painful memories of Partition and race in Pakistan against Abdul Khaliq, Asia’s top sprinter. Milkha won, and Pakistan’s leader General Ayub Khan remarked that he had not run but flown, giving him the name the Flying Sikh. That summer he also won the British AAA title.
At the Rome Olympics he went into the 400 m final as a medal contender. He led through the first half, then eased off around the 250 m mark, worried he could not hold the pace, and glanced at his rivals. Three runners passed him and he finished fourth in a photo finish. His time, hand-timed at 45.6 and electronically at 45.73 seconds, beat the old Olympic record, but the first four all broke it that day. He later called it his worst memory. The mark stood as India’s national record until Paramjit Singh broke it in 1998.
1962 to 1964: Final Years on the Track
At the 1962 Asian Games in Jakarta he won gold in the 400 m and helped India to gold in the 4×400 m relay. His final Olympics came in Tokyo in 1964, where India’s 4×400 m relay team went out in the heats. That year he also lost a 400 m race at the National Games to Makhan Singh.
Milkha Singh Records and Milestones
- First Commonwealth Games gold for independent India (Cardiff 1958).
- Only Indian man with an individual Commonwealth athletics gold until Vikas Gowda in 2014.
- First Indian to win 400 m gold at both the Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games.
- Four Asian Games golds across 1958 and 1962.
- 400 m national record of 45.73 s from Rome 1960, unbroken for 38 years.
- Represented India at three Olympics: Melbourne 1956, Rome 1960 and Tokyo 1964.
Milkha Singh Awards and Honours
- Padma Shri (1959)
- Helms World Trophy for Asia (1959)
- Bharat Gaurav Award (2016)
- Wax statue by Madame Tussauds, unveiled in 2017 and displayed in New Delhi
- Declined the Arjuna Award in 2001, arguing it was meant for young athletes and had lost its value
Life After Athletics and Legacy
After leaving competition he became Director of Sports in Punjab’s education ministry, retiring in 1998. He donated all his medals to the nation; they were displayed in Delhi and later at a sports museum in Patiala. In 2012 he gave the shoes he wore in the Rome final to a charity auction.
His autobiography, The Race of My Life, written with his daughter Sonia Sanwalka, was published in 2013 and inspired the film Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra with Farhan Akhtar in the title role. The film won the National Film Award for Best Popular Film and earned over ₹100 crore. Milkha sold the film rights for a token one rupee, asking that a share of profits go to the Milkha Singh Charitable Trust, which he set up in 2003 to help sportspeople in need.
Personal Life and Death
Milkha met Nirmal Saini, a former captain of the Indian women’s volleyball team, in Ceylon in 1955, and they married in 1962. They had three daughters and a son, Jeev Milkha Singh, who became one of India’s best-known professional golfers. In 1999 the couple adopted the young son of Havildar Bikram Singh, who was killed in the Battle of Tiger Hill during the Kargil war.
In May 2021 Milkha was admitted to hospital in Mohali with COVID-19 pneumonia. Nirmal died of COVID-19 complications on 13 June 2021, and Milkha died in Chandigarh five days later, on 18 June, aged 91. He was cremated with full state honours.
Frequently Asked Questions About Milkha Singh
Why is Milkha Singh called the Flying Sikh?
After he beat Pakistan’s Abdul Khaliq in a 1960 race in Lahore, General Ayub Khan told him he had not run but flown. The remark gave rise to the nickname.
Did Milkha Singh win an Olympic medal?
No. His best Olympic result was fourth in the 400 m final at Rome 1960, where he narrowly missed the bronze in a photo finish.
When was Milkha Singh born?
The date most widely used, including in sources published after his death, is 20 November 1929. Other records give 20 November 1932, the date on his passport, and 17 October 1935.
Did Milkha Singh win 77 of his 80 races?
This claim is often repeated but has never been verified. He is known to have lost several races, including all four of his rounds at the 1960 Olympics and a 1964 National Games 400 m.
