Veteran athlete Milkha Singh was cremated with full state honors on Saturday, marking the end of an era that set many new records in track events in independent India. Milkha Singh was 91 years old. He was given a tearful farewell in the presence of several celebrities including family members and Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju. Milkha, 91, passed away on Friday night at PGIMER Hospital in Chandigarh. The former Padma Shri awardee, also known as the ‘Flying Sikh’, was admitted to PGIMER on June 3 after oxygen levels dropped after being treated at Mohali’s Fortis Hospital for a week.
Many people including Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju, Punjab Governor VP Singh and Haryana Sports Minister Sandeep Singh were present to bid farewell to Milkha Singh.
Singh’s condition was deteriorating since evening and oxygen had also decreased along with fever. He was admitted in the ICU of PGIMER here. He had corona last month and his report came negative on Wednesday. He was shifted to General ICU. His condition had stabilized before Thursday evening. He had said in the last conversation with PTI before being admitted to the hospital, ‘Don’t worry. I’m fine I wonder how the corona happened. Hope I get well soon.
Milkha Singh won four gold medals at the Asian Games and also a yellow medal at the 1958 Commonwealth Games. Despite this, the biggest achievement of his career was the race which he lost. He finished fourth in the 400 meters final of the 1960 Rome Olympics. His timing was a national record for 38 years. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1959. He was the first Indian to win an individual medal in the Commonwealth Games. On his request, the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had declared a national holiday on that day.
Milkha won 77 races out of 80 in his career. He regretted missing out on the Rome Olympics. On the occasion of the release of his autobiography with ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’, a film on his life, he had said, ‘I have been longing for a medal throughout my career and due to a minor mistake, it slipped out of my hands.’ Another dream of his is yet unfulfilled that an Indian will win an Olympic medal in track and field.
