The Flying Sikh

You all have often heard of the popular nickname: ‘The Flying Sikh’ even if you don’t belong to the field of sports. This personality has a huge role in Indian history as a sprinter. Can you guess who this personality is? Well I know it is very easy for you to guess this huge and famous personality. YES, You’re right, it is MILKHA SINGH. Milkha Singh was an Indian Track & Field sprinter, born on 20 November 1929 at a small village of Govindpura in Punjab, British India (present-day in Pakistan). Milkha Singh was serving the Indian Army before his coach first introduced them to the sport.

He served the army between 1951-1964. His career as an athlete was remarkable as well as rememberable. Milkha Singh was the only athlete who had won Gold in both 400m races at the Asian Games and at the Commonwealth Games. He won Gold at the 1958 and 1962 Asian Games as well. He had represented India in many Olympics and was one of the favorites. He was also awarded the ‘Padma Shri Award’ which is India’s fourth-highest civilian honor for his mind-blowing sporting achievements.

From his childhood, he was an orphan due to the fight of partition but this motivated and made him a strong person and a sporting icon for the whole nation. Unfortunately, the great personality passed away due to COVID-19 complications on 18 June 2021 at the age of 91 leaving the whole country in silence. But this personality has left a great mark on our hearts, always motivating us.

By: Parth Aggarwal
S.D. Public School