India’s ‘Flying Sikh’ Milkha Singh dies of COVID complications at 91

India’s legendary track athlete and post-partition hero Milkha Singh died at the age of 91 late Friday. He had first tested positive for the coronavirus on May 19. 

“It is with extreme sadness that we would like to inform you that Milkha Singh Ji passed away at 11.30 pm. on the 18th of June 2021,” his family said in a statement. 

“He fought hard, but God has his ways, and it was perhaps true love and companionship that both our mother Nirmal ji and now Dad have passed away in a matter of 5 days,” the statement added. Singh’s wife, Nirmal Kaur, died due to post-COVID complications five days earlier. 

Popularly known as the “Flying Sikh” for his speed on the track, Singh won a gold medal at the 1958 Commonwealth Games in Cardiff and four golds at various Asian Games. His Olympic medal dream, however, remained unfulfilled as he finished fourth at the 400-meter final of the 1960 Rome Games.

Milkha Singh with Germany’s Carl Kaufmann in Cologne on June 15, 1960

His time — at 45.73 seconds — remained a national record for four decades.

Rising from a bloody partition

Born in 1929 in Govindpura, present-day Pakistan, Singh saw the horrors of the partition up close, losing most of his family to violence when British-ruled India was divided into Pakistan and India in 1947. 

Days after the partition, Singh’s father sent him away to find help. He eventually made it across the border, into India, but his parents did not survive the deadly riots that ensued back in their village. 

Coping with the loss of his family, Singh gave the young nation of India its first sporting hero with his 1958 win.

Singh’s story set the stage for the 2013 film “Bhaag Milkha Bhaag” or “Run, Milkha, Run”. The title referred to the last words that his father said to him, asking him to flee or he too would be another life lost during the violence that swept the subcontinent post-partition.

Outpouring of grief

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter to mourn the loss of a national hero. He wrote: “(W)e have lost a colossal sportsperson, who captured the nation’s imagination and had a special place in the hearts of countless Indians. His inspiring personality endeared himself to millions.”

Actor Farhan Akhtar, who played Singh in the film, gave an emotional tribute to the athlete and wrote, “A part of me refuses to accept that you are no more. Maybe it’s the stubborn part I inherited from you. The side that when it sets its mind on something, just never gives up.”

President Ram Nath Kovind, Punjab state’s Chief Minister Amrinder Singh, several sports icons and Indians across the world took to social media to mourn the loss.

Article source: https://www.dw.com/en/india-s-flying-sikh-milkha-singh-dies-of-covid-complications-at-91/a-57962170?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf