Indian · Govindpura, British India (present-day Pakistan) · Born 20 November 1929 · Died 2021-06-18Milkha Singh, nicknamed 'The Flying Sikh', was an Indian sprinter who became the first Indian man to reach an Olympic athletics final, famously finishing fourth in the 400m at the 1960 Rome Olympics.
Milkha Singh joined the Indian Army in 1952 without knowing he could run, discovered his ability in a cross-country race among hundreds of soldiers, and within six years had become the Commonwealth 400m champion — the first individual athletics gold medallist for independent India at those Games.. He won gold in both the 200m and 400m at the 1958 Asian Games and 400m gold at that year's Commonwealth Games, becoming the first individual athletics gold medallist for independent India at the Commonwealth Games, a distinction that stood for 56 years. Singh's defining moment came at the 1960 Rome Olympics, where, leading the 400m final at the 200m mark, he eased off strategically before a chasing pack overtook him in a race that needed a photo finish to determine the medals; he finished fourth, missing bronze by a fraction of a second, with his time of 45.73 seconds standing as the Indian national record for 38 years. Later that year, prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru persuaded him to race Pakistan's champion sprinter Abdul Khaliq in Lahore; Singh won decisively, prompting Pakistani president Ayub Khan to nickname him 'The Flying Sikh.' He won further Asian Games gold in the 400m and 4x400m relay in 1962, and competed at a third Olympics in 1964 before retiring. His son, Jeev Milkha Singh, became a leading Indian professional golfer. Milkha Singh died in June 2021 at the age of 91.
Becoming the first Indian man to reach an Olympic athletics final, finishing fourth in the 400m at the 1960 Rome Olympics
How They Played
Powerful, front-running sprinter renowned for early speed and competitive resilience
Lasting Impact
Widely regarded as one of India's greatest-ever athletes, a symbol of resilience whose story of overcoming Partition's tragedies to become a national hero remains deeply embedded in Indian sporting culture
Career Honours
- First Indian man to reach an Olympic athletics final (1960, 400m)
- Only athlete to win 400m gold at both the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games
- 3x Asian Games gold (1958, 1962)
- Commonwealth Games gold, 400m (1958)
- Padma Shri recipient
Indian Athletes